Haunting the Wolf
by Bad l'Cie
Summary: After Alduin's defeat, Artemis Moonshadow was appointed the new Harbinger of the Companions. On the outside, she was perfect. She was a great blacksmith, a deadly swords-woman and her aim with a bow was good enough to rival Aela the Huntress. But, something inside her was eating her up and haunting her in her sleep. Will ridding herself of these nightmares be as easy as she thinks?
1. Chapter 1

_I do not own Skyrim_

* * *

I tossed and turned as non-existent screams battered my brain. I couldn't shut it out. Burning flesh filled my nostrils, even though the only fire present was the one burning in the middle of the hall. My heart pounded, my breaths quickened. Vicious battle cries and the fearful screeches of family echoed in my eardrums. I whimpered as I turned over and pulled the furs over my head. My hands shook violently. Tears began to well in my eyes. Rivers poured down from my eyes as my hands attempted to stop the flow of water. The crackle of fire brought forth a bright flash of orange that retreated into the darkness. I tried forcing my eyes open as more images of burning trees assaulted my mind. Another whimper escaped my lips as corpses became part of the inferno plaguing my sleep. At the top of the fires, all I saw was hopeless darkness. It was cold. Unforgiving. The light of the fires wasn't much better. Drawn weapons floated toward me, their metal glistening with fresh blood. My heart almost burst out of my chest as the images danced into motion.

_My hands shook as I removed the cork from the vial. Fire crackled as the forest around our home burned. Tears rolled down my cheeks as father picked up his beloved twin daggers.  
"Azura guide you, Artemis." He said and took a deep breath before sprinting out of the house.  
"For the Lady of Twilight!" He exclaimed and engaged battle with the attacking hunters. Mother picked up her greatsword and stared at me, fear twinkling in her pupils.  
"Drink it and run away. It's not safe here." She said.  
"Where do I go?" I asked.  
"Find the shrine of Hircine or Azura. Either one will do." She replied. Battle cries and screams of defeat filled the air. The fire spread to the house and the roof was burning. One of the beams fell and the roof caved in. Fire rose up and attacked the interior. I picked up a lone, uncorked wine bottle and clutched it close. Mother grabbed my hand and pulled me out of the house._

_The exterior was ablaze with orange light. Mother held her ground and raised her greatsword high. Father ran to her side and they fought off the hunters. I uncorked the wine bottle and dropped the cork. I ripped the hem off of my dress and stuck it into the neck of the bottle. I ran to the house and let the material catch fire. I sprinted back and threw it. The hunters screeched and the scent of burning flesh filled my nose.  
"Artemis! Don't just stand there! Drink it and get out of here!" Mother exclaimed. I nodded quickly and looked down at the vial of crimson liquid in my hand. I brought it to my lips and gulped the contents down. The thick, warm liquid traversed down my throat as I threw the glass over my parent's heads. I cringed as I heard it shatter on a hunter's skull.  
"We love you dear..." Mother whispered.  
"May Azura and Hircine watch over you." Father replied. They charged into battle._

_I grunted as my stomach turned over itself. I screamed as my limbs lengthened and my spine stretched. Searing pain gripped my jaw as it became more prominent. My blood thickened and my head spun. Fur grew and claws replaced my nails. My teeth elongated and a fierce thirst took over. I looked up to the sky and roared. I let a low growl escape as the hunters neared my parents. Father looked back as a corpse fell to his feet.  
"Run Artemis!" He exclaimed and turned around to deflect an axe aimed at his face._

_I nodded and bolted out of the forest. The wind whipped around my ears and pressured me into running faster. I stopped to steal a glance back at the dark smoke rose from the treetops. I whimpered as I turned around and headed further into the forest._

_After what seemed like hours of running, a sharp pain in my stomach arose as my blood thinned. I collapsed to the ground as my body began to morph back into human form. After my body stopped convulsing in pain, I looked up at the sky. The moon was full and the stars were out. The burning blaze was so far away, yet I could still see the inferno from here. Tears welled in my eyes as I thought back to my family. Mother and father were probably slaughtered without mercy, like animals. The night air was cold. Goose pimples rose on my flesh as the icy breeze sent shivers up my spine. I grasped the bark of the tree closest to me and used it as support. I hauled myself to my feet and let out a groan as my head spun. My knees didn't want to stand upright and I fell back onto the tree. I groaned as a sharp pain shot up my spine. I clenched my teeth and hissed wildly, my eyes squeezed shut._

_My sight opened up again and I saw a shadow in the distance. My heart stopped and I just wanted the earth to swallow me whole. The shadow wandered toward me, sword at the ready. My eyes widened with fear as I tried to back away, but my legs were too weak. I fell backward and stared ahead. My hands shook and the hair on my neck stood on end. The darkness on the figure finally turned into colour. I tried to move away from the man as I noticed the iron sword pointing toward me._

_He had ice blonde hair and frosty blue eyes. Half of his face was covered by olive green war paint. He had the appearance of a Nord. Darkened leather armour covered his body. A vicious snarl slithered across his face as he inched toward me. My chest quickly rose and fell as my breath quickened. My heart hammered and my skin trembled. I hoped that he wasn't a hunter. His snarl dropped from his face as his eyes wandered my body. A hungry glint entered his pupils as a smile curved upon his lips. He sheathed his blade and hummed with a nod. I tried to get up, but I fell down again. My legs were still hurting from my transformation. He knelt down beside me and stared into my eyes. I could tell he was watching my fear shine through the darkness. He reached out and ran his gloved hand down the side of my face. I whimpered and looked down at the ground. A dizzy spell struck me and I couldn't see properly. He used his fingers to lift my chin up. His thumb traced my upper lip and returned it to my chin. My head pounded as my eyesight got worse. His smirk only got bigger as he wrapped one arm around my waist and the other underneath my legs. My body grew limp as he picked me up. My body was too exhausted to fight due to my first transformation. My eyes closed as my consciousness slipped away._

Images of the Nord's hungry gaze played over and over in my mind. I turned over and whimpered softly. The cold clutches of this inescapable barrage of darkness sunk its claws into my heart and let the pain ripple through my body. My hands shook and little rivers trickled down my cheeks. Shadowy fingers clasped themselves around my throat and tried to squeeze it shut. My lungs took struggled breaths as sweat dripped from my brow. The dark hands slowly enclosed my neck and my body began to convulse. My eyes opened suddenly and I shot up with a gasp. Tears continued to stream down my cheeks as the tightness around my neck loosen. I took deep and quick breaths as my lungs inflated again. Once my breathing settled, I pushed the furs covering me aside and wandered out into the training yard.

I sat on the edge of the steps. I sighed and stared up at the sky. The beautiful sight of the heavens above was soothing. I felt a sense of security being under the stars. The two moons gleamed with cold light, but this chilling luminescence gave me comfort. A set of footsteps headed toward me as I heard the doors close. Aela sat down on the steps next to me. She had a white fur pelt wrapped around her shoulders and her red hair gently blew in the wind. I tried to suppress a smile as her blue eyes sparkled.  
"What are you doing out here?" I asked. She sighed and looked up at the sky.  
"I need to clear my head." She replied.  
"Why?" I asked. She shook her head and smiled. I could see a glint of mischief in her eyes.  
"I'm going hunting tonight. Can you cover for me?" She asked in reply. I let out a chuckle and nodded.  
"Of course, I always do." I replied with a half-hearted smile. She left the pelt at my feet and stood up.  
"Thanks. I'll be back at sunrise." Aela said and dashed to the Underforge. I picked up the pelt and dragged it back to her room. Once the pelt was safely back in her room and the door was closed, I headed back to bed, dreading the thought of another nightmare plaguing me. I slid into bed and pulled the furs over my body. I shut my eyes and let the stillness of the night try to coax my beast blood into letting me sleep. All I saw was empty darkness. I smiled as I drifted off into a peaceful slumber.

* * *

I felt something prod my shoulder. I groaned and buried my face in the furs covering my body. I heard a sigh coming from beside my bed as my shoulder was pushed harder. I tried to swat the being responsible for trying to wake me. The furs covering me were ripped off of the bed and I groaned angrily before rubbing my eyes and sitting up. My sight returned to me and I found Vilkas scowling at me.  
"Get up. You slept in again." Vilkas said icily and threw the furs at me before marching out. I groaned and slid out of bed. I strapped on my weapons and left the sleeping quarters.

I headed into the main hall of Jorrvaskr and sat down next to the open fire. The faint scent of mead and sweet rolls wafted into my nose and made me sigh with contentment. The Companions went about their usual business. Vilkas and Farkas sat at the u-shaped dining table, arguing about things that Nord men usually bicker about. Athis and Njada eyed each other evilly. Ria, Aela and Torvar must have sensed the uneasiness and left the hall for the quiet training yard. I headed outside also, not keen to be in the middle of a sibling war or an argument gone wrong. And personally, I didn't want to be in the room when both occurred.

Torvar sat on his usual chair and sipped tentatively on his tankard of mead. Ria munched on a piece of bread next to Torvar. Aela had her bow out and she was practising her archery skills. I pulled out my own bow and stood before the target next to hers. She turned her head slightly to the side and smirked before facing her target again. She let the arrow on the bowstring go and it whizzed through the air. I watched as it struck the second ring and she turned to give me a smug smile. I sighed and shook my head. Aela was always making a competition out of training.  
"Try and beat that, Moonshadow." she said with a smirk. I shrugged my shoulders and pulled an arrow out of my quiver. I notched it into place and pulled the string back. I lined up my shot and took a deep breath. I released the arrow and sent it piercing through the air. It lodged itself into the top of the bullseye. I let a cocky smirk stretch over my face as Aela pursed her lips at me.  
"I think I just did, Huntress." I replied and placed my hand on my hip. I gave her a cheeky wink and she scoffed at me whilst she rolled her eyes. She pulled the arrow out of the target and notched it onto her bow. She pushed me out of the way and sent the arrow spinning through the air. It buried itself into the centre of the bullseye. She smirked and placed her bow in her quiver. I rolled my eyes and grinned. My fingers slid a arrow quickly onto the drawstring and pulled it back. The arrow whizzed through the air and struck her arrow in the centre of the shaft, splitting it in half. Aela's jaw dropped as she saw tiny splinters flying in separate directions. I smirked as I put my bow back in the quiver. The huntress closed her mouth and placed her hand on her hip. We heard Ria laughing incredibly loud and it broke the competitive atmosphere between us.

Our heads turned to see Torvar waving his tankard about and singing very badly. Ria rolled her eyes at him as Aela and I wandered over into the shade. Aela and I sat down at the bench at watched him twirl around, slurring the lyrics to a ballad, mead swishing around in his tankard. He placed one foot in front of the other as he took anther swig. I laughed at him and clapped at a steady pace with glee. Ria cheered and chuckled. Aela shook her head with a smile tugging at the corners of her lips. Torvar slumped in his chair next to Ria's and huffed. His mead spilled out and splashed on the floor. He ruptured into laughter and the other three of us followed with a round of chuckles. The moment of merriness died down, as did our voices. Torvar looked into his tankard and guzzled what little remained of his drink. Ria picked up a piece of bread and began to munch on it. Aela got up and headed inside. She stopped at the door and looked back at me.  
"Artemis, you coming?" She asked. I nodded and followed her into Jorrvaskr. Athis was chatting with Vilkas by the fire as Njada headed outside to the training yard. Farkas sat quietly and stared at the roof. He huffed in boredom and let his eyes roam around the room. Aela grabbed my wrist and my skin quivered underneath her touch. She pulled me into the sleeping quarters.

She dragged me into her room and closed the door behind her. Her fingers left my skin and she placed her hands on her hips.  
"What's with the secrecy?" I asked her. She flicked a stray hair away from her face and crossed her arms over her chest.  
"How could you split my arrow in half?" She asked in reply. I sighed and stared at the ground. She always took friendly competitions a tad too seriously.  
"I just happened to fire my arrow into the same spot as yours and the wood split. That's all." I answered. She shook her head at me and frowned.  
"How are your arrows better than mine?" She questioned.  
"Yours are steel arrows. Mine are glass. My arrows have much stronger shafts than yours. That's why yours split." I replied.  
"So, if you used the same arrows as me, it wouldn't have split, right?" Aela asked.  
"Maybe, I'm not too sure. I haven't tested that." I replied. A moment of silence passed between us.

Aela's eyes wandered the room as I brushed my hair behind my ears. A few seconds past before I decided to break the silence.  
"Aela?"  
"Yes?"  
"Do you know if both moons will be full tonight?" I asked. Her eyes twinkled as a smile stretched across her face.  
"Yes, they should be. Why do you ask?" Aela asked. I couldn't tell her about my little secret, so I decided to lie.  
"I was thinking about going to the cornerclub tonight." I replied. Aela's eyebrow rose as she scoffed.  
"Cornerclub? I've only ever heard Athis say that." Aela said.  
"So?" I asked.  
"Athis told me that only dark elves call taverns 'cornerclubs'. And you're not a dark elf." Aela replied.  
"I am too. Well, only a small part dark elf. My father was half Dunmer. And he always called a tavern a cornerclub." I said. Aela didn't seem too convinced, but the part about my heritage was true.  
"I don't believe you." Aela stated. I sighed and shook my head. Once I opened my eyes, Aela stared at them and inspected the irises closely.  
"Red eyes? I never noticed you had red eyes before." Aela said.  
"I told you, I'm part Dunmer. I have my father's eyes." I replied. She nodded and hummed a short tune of acceptance.  
"And why do you go at full moons?" Aela asked.  
"Father always said that a brandy at midnight on a night with two full moons is good luck." I replied. That was a lie. I turned on my heels and went to leave the room.  
"Where are you going?" Aela asked.  
"There's a bounty on a dragon that's nearby. I'll be back in the morning." I replied.  
"Fine. Go on. Enjoy slaying your dragon." Aela said with a smirk. I chuckled and left Jorrvaskr.


	2. Chapter 2

Silent Moons Camp wasn't too far away when I heard a loud roar erupt from the skies above. The sky was painted with different shades of purple, blue, red and orange. I pulled out my glass bow and took out an arrow. The source of the roar came into sight as a dragon flew overhead. The beast saw me and spurted fire in my direction. I dodged it and sent an arrow flying upward. The dragon cried out as the projectile punctured its jaw. It landed before me and I almost lost my footing. It took me a second to notice the brown stripe on its golden nose. This was the Elder dragon from the bounty notice. I put my bow away and pulled out my steel swords. The dragon snapped at me and its teeth barely grazed my arm. I hissed with pain as streaks of red slid down my skin. I slashed at the giant snout before me. The dragon flapped its wings and stared me down as it went to fly up.  
"Fus... Ro Dah!"  
The dragon roared at me as it was knocked to the ground. I jumped onto the dragon's wing and stabbed my sword into the thin membrane. The beast let out a screech of pain as blood streamed down the wing. It flicked its wing and I was flung into the air. I landed onto the ground with a thump and I groaned as I stood up. The beast tried to lunge at me and I stuck my sword into its nose. A stream of hot air whooshed against my face as the dragon roared at me. It snapped at me and I jumped back in time to avoid its crushing jaws. I ran up to the dragon and jumped onto the bulky neck. It thrashed its head around as I slammed my sword repeatedly into the dragon's head. It fell limp to the ground as I jumped off of its neck. A golden aura surrounded the dragon as its flesh slowly disintegrated. The energy surrounded me and I felt a rush of ancient knowledge flow through my system. I closed my eyes, took a deep breath and let it seep into me. I opened my eyes and found a dragon skeleton sitting before me. My work was done and I would collect the bounty tomorrow. I pulled out a potion of minor healing and poured it over the wound, making sure that the liquid got into the cuts. I continued on my way heading towards Silent Moons Camp.

* * *

The large stone structure loomed before me and a smile reached my face. The sun had left the sky and Azura's star appeared in the sky. The moons were just coming out. I wandered into the Lunar forge and put my weapons on the ground. The embers of the forge burned brightly in the night. The flames danced and gave me a warm, happy feeling. It reminded me of the forge back home. I smiled as I felt at home. I pulled out my ebony ingots, Daedra hearts and leather strips. I picked up the hammer and got to work. I knew that I would be spending hours getting my new weapons just right.

* * *

I crawled into bed and pulled the furs over my head. I smiled as I snuggled down and let my eyes rest. A happy and warm sensation ran up my arms as they brushed against the furs. I felt the edge of my bed concave, but I didn't care. I was happy to be sleeping. And my sleep was even more pleasant because the nightmares hadn't started yet. A gentle hand pushed my arm. I groaned and turned over. I heard a female voice sigh as a finger prodded my cheek repeatedly. I turned my face slightly toward the finger and bit it. The person cursed wildly and then a loud smack filled the air, followed by unpleasant tingling on my cheek.

I sat up and groaned as my eyes opened slowly. I saw Aela sitting on the edge of my bed, shaking her finger to try and numb the pain.  
"Sorry." I mumbled as I yawned.  
"It's alright. I'm not hurt. Don't worry." Aela replied with a smile. Her eyes twinkled with the brightness of the stars in the sky. The aqua war paint that striped across her face brought out her sparkling ice blue eyes. The tingle on my cheek faded and I could feel my cheeks beginning to burn. I couldn't explain it, but something inside me felt at ease with Aela around.  
"Artemis? You alright?" Aela asked, confusion plastered over her face. I shook my head to clear my mind and sighed.  
"Yes, I'm fine." I replied. She smiled and patted my shoulder before standing.  
"Come on then." She said and waltzed out of the sleeping quarters. I groaned as I stumbled after her.

After the doors to the sleeping quarters shut behind me, I toddled up the stairs to find my Shield-Siblings sitting around the large fire, either cross legged on the floor or on a chair. Aela said down on the floorboards next to Farkas and Vilkas. They seemed to be starting up a conversation. I decided to stay out of it and sat down on the steps leading to the entrance of the mead hall. I sighed and leaned my head on the pillar next to me. I was so tired that I couldn't keep my eyes open. I shut my eyelids and let myself begin to doze off. I heard footsteps head toward me and I opened my eyes to see who it was.

Farkas sat down next to me and playfully elbowed me in the ribs. I groaned and gave him a weary smile.  
"Why are you half-asleep?" He asked. I yawned and rubbed my eyes.  
"I was up all night forging, heading back here and visiting the Jarl." I replied. He let a smile touch his lips and he shook his head.  
"What did you forge?" He asked. I rolled my eyes at Farkas. He was so inquisitive, much like a child. Vilkas and Aela often called him unintelligent or icebrains, but he would just let it slide down his shoulder like water. I pulled out two twin Daedric daggers and placed them at his feet. I picked up my Daedric bow and put that down before him also. His eyes lit up as he picked up the bow.  
"Just these." I replied and crossed my arms.  
"This is amazing. I've never seen anything like it." He said and handed the bow back to me. As I placed it back in my quiver, he picked up the twin daggers and let his eyes wander the curves of the blade.  
"They're not perfect, but with some practice, they will be." I replied with a shrug. He looked at me as if I was crazy.  
"Are you kidding?! They are perfect just as they are." Farkas said. He put the daggers down and plucked the bow out of my quiver. He picked up the rest of my Daedric weapons and stood up quickly.  
"Hey! Give me back my weapons!" I exclaimed. He ran over to Aela and Vilkas before he gently placed my weapons before them.

I wandered over there, but before I had the chance to retrieve my weapons, Aela and Vilkas were inspecting them. I sighed and sat down next to Farkas, who shot me a cheeky grin. Aela plucked the string of the bow and stared at it in wonder. Vilkas ran his finger down the jagged edge of a dagger, his eyes never leaving the blade.  
"How did you get this bow?" Aela asked.  
"And these daggers?" Vilkas added. Three pairs of eyes stared at me, waiting for an answer.  
"I made them last night." I replied. Farkas grinned again as he saw Vilkas' and Aela's jaws drop simultaneously.  
"They're not perfect, I know." I added with an embarrassed smile.  
"Does Eorland know about this?" Vilkas asked.  
"He knows about the smithing, but not the weapons I made last night." I replied.  
"Where did you learn to do this?" Aela asked.  
"My mother was a blacksmith. She had a forge around the back of the family home. She taught me when I was ten and I helped her around the forge for another ten years." I replied. Aela gave me back my bow and I placed it back in my quiver. Vilkas handed the daggers back to me and I put them back in their rightful places. A cloak of silence draped itself over us and everyone's eyes seemed to be wandering around the wooden mead hall. Aela wrapped her arms around her knees and stared at the ground. Farkas twiddled his thumbs. Vilkas just stayed silent as he looked straight at me.  
"Where was your family home?" Aela asked.  
"Cyrodiil. In the forest somewhere. I'm not too sure about surrounding towns. I very rarely went into town with mother or father." I replied.

"So, why aren't you there now?" Farkas asked. Aela and Vilkas stared at me, waiting for my response. My heart stopped and leaped into my throat. I blinked and the darkness that should've been there was replaced with vivid orange and red. My stomach lurched and I felt sick. The scent of mead and sweetrolls was quickly replaced with the stench of burning flesh, scorched leather and blood. Tears formed at the edge of my eyes and my lungs shrivelled up in my chest. I wrapped my arms around my chest as my ribs ached with a vicious pain. I began to sob as tears spilled down my cheeks. I wiped away the tears and tried to regain my composure.  
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you. I was just curious." Farkas said, his face drooping into a guilty frown.  
"Don't worry Farkas... I just... I don't want to talk about it." I replied and wiped away another tear. Aela scooted over to my side and patted my shoulder with an awkward facial expression. I guessed that she had never tried to comfort someone before. I didn't know what it was, but when Aela touched me, the panic in my body died down. My breathing slowed and the darkness returned when I closed my eyes. The sweet scent of sweetrolls and mead returned and I let out a sigh of relief. As the memories retreated, my body relaxed and I could control myself again.  
"Thanks Aela." I said. She let a relieved smile touch her lips and I could feel my cheeks burning.  
"You're welcome." She replied and stood up. She headed over to the twins and began talking with them again.

I got off the floor and wandered outside. Hiemskr's preaching could be heard as I breathed in the sweet afternoon air. The sun beat down on my face and a soft gust of wind tried to knock me over. Children ran around playing tag with each other. Yelling could be heard over the top of the priest of Talos and I knew that the Grey-Manes and the Battle-Borns were at it again. I sighed and headed up to the Skyforge. As I reached the top of the stairs, I felt the heat of the forge rush toward me. Eorland sat the grind stone, working on a steel sword. Sparks danced and flew in the air before fading into nothingness. Eorland picked up the blade and turned around to find me standing behind him.

"Ah, Artemis. How fares the Harbinger?" Eorland asked.  
"Quite well and yourself?" I questioned in return.  
"Same as always." He replied. He stared at my new weapons with curiosity.  
"When did you get those?" He asked. I looked down at my daggers and nodded.  
"I made them last night." I replied.  
"Let me see." He said. I pulled out my daggers and handed them to him before giving him my bow. He smiled inquisitively as his eyes wandered the edges.  
"They're good." Eorland replied and handed the weapons back to me.  
"Thank you." I said and put the weapons away.  
"How long did you spend on them?" He asked.  
"A few hours." I replied. He nodded with approval.  
"Your skills are coming along quite nicely." He said.  
"Thank you again." I replied.

He smiled as he placed the blade down on the stone bench next to the forge.  
"Think you could make matching armour?" He asked. I quickly checked my supplies and pouted. I didn't have any more Daedra hearts left.  
"I don't think so. But I could make something a bit better." I replied.  
"Then do it." He said and gestured to the Skyforge. My jaw dropped as I realised what he was telling me to do. He was telling me to use the Skyrforge! I couldn't believe it.  
"Well, what are you waiting for?" He asked. I snapped out of my surprise and picked up a hammer before getting to work.

* * *

I wandered back into the hall to find my Shield-Siblings scattered around the room, slurping their stews. Farkas was especially loud, I could hear him from across the room. He was never a quiet eater. Tilma walked over to me with a plate of food in her hand.

"Your supper, Harbinger." She said and held it out to me.  
"Thank you, Tilma." I replied and took the plate from her. She turned around and headed back into the sleeping quarters. I looked down at the plate and smiled. The venison steak and the grilled leeks were separate. I sighed with relief. I pulled out my fork and began to eat the meat. I then ate the leeks before placing the plate down on the table.

"Why didn't you have stew like the rest of us?" Aela asked. My heart stopped and I let out a yelp before turning around, eyes widened with shock. She chuckled as I patted my heart and encouraged it to start beating again.  
"I don't like stew much. I prefer eating my meats and vegetables separate." I replied. She shook her head at me and sighed.  
"You never cease to amaze me, Artemis." She said. I could feel my cheeks beginning to redden and I had to look down at the floor to avoid her detecting my embarrassment. I hoped that she couldn't see it, but I knew that Aela was too observant to not have noticed. A smile stretched across her face and she crossed her arms. She chuckled a little and that made my embarrassment worse.

To make things even more worse, Farkas wandered over. Don't get me wrong, Farkas was one of my most trusted friends and he was a great person to fight alongside, but he was incredibly nosey. He stopped at Aela's side and stared at me. He grinned and chuckled.  
"Why are your cheeks red?" He asked with a cocked eyebrow and a smirk stretched across his face. I frowned and pursed my lips.  
"My cheeks are not red." I replied harshly. He chuckled and crossed his arms.  
"Alright then..." He said and grinned. Aela smirked and patted him on the shoulder.  
"Don't you have to go somewhere?" Aela asked. Farkas sighed and nodded.  
"Yes, I have to go to Solitude. Some Nord wants me to put someone in their place." Farkas replied.  
"That's a long journey." I said. He shrugged and glanced at Aela.  
"It's not all that long." He replied. I raised an eyebrow and looked at him as if he was completely insane.  
"I've made the journey from here to Solitude before. It takes days." I said. He sighed and nodded.  
"I'll go tomorrow morning, then." He replied with a smile. Aela and I nodded.  
"Good. I'll make sure you do." She replied. He shook his head at Aela and wandered in the opposite direction.  
"Thanks Aela." I said.  
"Don't worry about it." She replied with a smile. She turned on her heels and walked towards the chatting twins. Suddenly, I felt extremely tired and I let out a yawn. I wandered down into the sleeping quarters and clambered into the nearest bed I could find. I got comfortable and pulled the furs up and clutched them to my chest before letting my heavy eyelids droop closed. Empty darkness blanketed me as I fell asleep.

I groaned as I turned onto my side. A hand came out of the shadows of my mind and tried to strangle me. I recognised the hand at an instant. The pale skin was tainted by a large scar down the middle finger. My heart began to beat faster and I could feel my breaths shallowing. My chest began to ache and I let out a whimper. Shivers travelled down my spine as a familiarly gruff voice rang through my mind. I could feel goosebumps beginning to rise on my skin. A set of piercing blue eyes stared back at me. I tried opening my eyes, but they were too tired to open. I couldn't escape those frosty irises. They held me captive and as much as I tried to free myself, I couldn't get out.

_His grip on my wrists was like iron. As hard as I tried to slip away, he'd pull me right back. The Nord had me trapped.  
"Stop squirming, you filthy milk drinker!" He hissed. His voice was gruff, just like his appearance. I growled angrily as I tried again to free myself. He wrapped his muscular arm around my chest and used his free hand to tug at the shoulder of my dress. I cringed as the material tore and his grip on me tightened. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see an evil smirk crawl across his pale lips.  
"Let me go or I will maul you to death!" I exclaimed. He chuckled and brought his lips to my ear. I could feel his hot breath against my neck and it sent shivers running down my skin.  
"You couldn't even scare a goat even if you tried. Besides, a girl like you could make me lots of septims, you pathetic wench." He whispered. His accent sent shivers down my spine and not the good kind. I closed my eyes and cursed my mouth. Intimidation was never my strong point._

_I opened my eyes and dug my elbow into his stomach. He groaned and shut his eyes tight as his grip on me loosened. I jumped out his weakened grasp and made for the entrance of the tent. I stumbled over the hem of my dress. I yelped as I landed face first on the ground. I picked myself up from the dirt and ran around the roaring fire. My heart pounded in my ears as I ran towards the nearby forest. I hid behind a nearby tree and took a moment to catch my breath. As I relaxed a little, I peered out from behind the tree to see the bandit stumbling out of his tent, looking for me. I pushed my back up against the tree and kept quiet. I took a deep breath and looked out from behind the tree again. I saw him look in my direction and I quickly stepped back behind the tree again. I closed my eyes and prayed that he wouldn't come any closer. His footsteps broke a few sticks and he kicked some stones heading towards my hiding place. I felt a hand clasp around my wrist and I let out a screech as he pulled me back toward his campsite. I used my free hand to swing at him, but he got hold of it and continued to drag me back._

_I was thrown into the tent and he sat on my ribs. He pulled my hands together and bound them in rope before binding my feet as well. I huffed as he got off of me and grinned victoriously.  
"Crafty little bitch, aren't you?" He asked and sat beside me. The sound of metal hissing against a sheath rang in my ears. I caught a glimpse of the bandit's dagger and I silently cursed my luck. A silver dagger. He pulled the torn fabric away from my chest and grinned again. I swung my bound hands at him and it made contact with his cheek. A loud smack echoed throughout the tent. A large red mark appeared on his face and I frowned at him.  
"What in Azura's name are you going to do to me?!" I hissed. He pressed the blade's edge onto my skin. Searing pain shot through my body and I clenched my fists to help ease the pain. He smirked as he saw blood seep out.  
"Branding you as mine. I am your master now, remember that." He replied as he dragged the dagger across my chest. I screamed in agony as tears welled up in my eyes. My hands shook as the pain was beginning to overwhelm me. He pulled the blade away from my skin and I gasped with relief. He chuckled as tears rolled down my cheek._

_He stood up and left the tent.  
"I'll be right outside, so don't try anything." He warned and wandered outside. I sat up and looked down at the blood on my skin. Outside I could hear him opening a cage of some sort. Birds squawked and rustled about in their cage. The noise died down I saw him walk over to a block of wood, pick up an axe and chop off the bird's head. I could hear the clucking of the other birds in the cage as they saw their friend get butchered._

_One part of the clucking came closer to the tent. My eyes widened in fear. I was praying that the chicken didn't come any closer. But my words went unheeded. A set of beady eyes fixed on me as it walked into the tent. The brown feathers of the bird looked extremely dirty, almost as if it had never been taken care of a day in its life. I felt sorry for the bird, but there was no way that I would pick that thing up and cuddle it as if it was a baby. I whimpered and tried to scoot away from the chicken, but it kept coming toward me. I groaned quietly as it came closer. The bird jumped up onto my leg and I screamed. I could feel its claws digging into my flesh and I winced. I thrashed about, trying to get the damned chicken off of me.  
"Get off! Get off! Get off!" I shouted and smacked the bird with my bound hands. The bird fell off of my lap and then charged at me. It flapped its wings rapidly as it ran up to me. I yelped as it pecked my feet. I tried to get up, but I fell over and the bird jumped onto my back. It pecked my back and I screamed again. It's claws dug into my back and it continued to assault me with painful pecks to my shoulders.  
"Get off!" I yelled and tried to get the chicken off of me. The Nord ran into the tent to find me being attacked by a psychotic chicken. I could hear his laughter over my screeching and the bird's squawking. He picked the chicken up by the neck and took it back to its cage. I caught my breath and curled into a ball. He walked back into the tent and sat at my feet._

_"Scared of a chicken, are we? A were-wolf that's scared of chickens... I've never heard of something more ridiculous in my life." He said with a chuckle.  
"It's not funny! That chicken could've killed me!" I exclaimed in defence. I yelp as he grabbed my hair and pulled me closer to his face.  
"If you try and run away again, I'll lock you away with the chickens. Understood?" He asked venomously. I nodded quickly and he let go of my hair. He ran his hand down the side of my face and I moved away from him. He took hold of my waist and pulled me onto his chest. He ran his fingers through my hair and I spotted a scar on his other hand. It was a thin white line that ran up his middle finger. I wondered how he got it as he roughly grasped my face. He turned my head and he stared into my eyes. Those frosty irises made my skin crawl._

_"You're beautiful for a pathetic bitch, you know that?" He asked. I said nothing. He chuckled and shook his head.  
"I wonder how much I could charge people for a night with you..." He said with a conniving smirk.  
"If you try anything, you will be sorry." I uttered venomously. He chuckled and gripped me tighter. He pressed his lips up against my ear.  
"I guess I'll just have to evaluate you myself." He said menacingly. He gripped my neck and forced me to the ground. I yelped as he flipped my onto my stomach. My fists dug into my ribs as his iron grip bruised my waist. I cringed as I waited for the inevitable._

My eyes snapped open and I shot up. My heart almost burst out of my chest and I struggled for breath. My ribs ached and my head pounded. My blood thickened and I felt sick. The others slept soundly in the beds around me. I got out of bed and wrapped my furs around me before trudging outside into the cold. I sat on the stairs leading down to the training yard. I looked up at the sky and saw the stars twinkle in the darkness above and I felt at ease. A cool breeze blew around the courtyard and I wrapped the furs tighter around myself. I sighed and tried to clear my mind of any thoughts about the bandit. But as hard as I tried, memories of him continued to plague me. I huffed angrily and headed back inside. I dumped the furs on the bed and clambered back into bed. I closed my eyes and let myself drift off to sleep. But it wasn't a peaceful slumber... All I could hear was melodious singing in the back of my mind And it sent shivers down my spine.


	3. Chapter 3

I rubbed my eyes and wandered up the steps wearily. At the top of the staircase, I was greeted by Vilkas, Farkas and Aela.  
"We're going to the Bannered Mare. Care to join us?" Vilkas asked. I yawned and stretched my arms above my head.  
"Alright, I'll come." I replied.  
"Good." Farkas said with a grin. We left the mead hall and walked towards the Bannered Mare.

The warmth of the fire in the middle of the room wafted towards the door as we headed inside. Vilkas turned around and stood in front of us.  
"Mead?" He asked as he pointed to Aela.  
"Honningbrew." She replied with a grin. Vilkas then pointed to his twin and Farkas chuckled.  
"Of course. The usual, if you wouldn't mind." Farkas replied. Aela slapped his arm and shook her head.  
"Don't try and sound smart. It's not going to help you seem intelligent." Aela said. Farkas chuckled as Vilkas turned to me.  
"And what do you want?" He asked. The others looked at me and waited for my answer.  
"I'm fine." I replied. Aela shook her head at me and the twins chuckled.  
"What? Can't you handle mead?" Farkas asked.  
"Face it Farkas. Our Harbinger is too chicken to drink mead." Vilkas mused with a cheeky grin. Shivers ran down the side of my arms as I recalled the memory of when I was attacked by a chicken at age six.  
"Please don't mention chickens to me." I replied. Aela smirked and sauntered over to me.  
"If the chicken wants nothing, she can have nothing. Let's not force the chicken into drinking mead." She said, emphasising the word, 'chicken'. I groaned and rolled my eyes.  
"I don't have to if I don't want to. Just don't mention chickens again or I will Shout you all to pieces." I warned. My shield siblings laughed at me as Vilkas nodded.  
"I'll get the drinks then." He said with a big grin and wandered over towards the bar.

"Why don't you like anyone mentioning chickens?" Farkas asked.  
"I-I don't like them... They scare me, ok?" I replied quietly. Farkas and Aela stayed silent for a few seconds and then burst into laughter. I crossed my arms and pouted.  
"It's not funny! Those birds are scary!" I exclaimed in defence. Their laughter became louder and I cringed with embarrassment. Farkas slapped my back and grinned.  
"Don't worry. We all have those irrational fears." He said. I smiled and Aela chuckled.  
"Says the man who is scared of spiders." Aela replied. He rolled his eyes at her.

Vilkas wandered back over to us with three mead bottles in his hands.  
"One for you." He said and handed Aela her mead. She nodded and grasped the neck of the bottle between her fingers.  
"One for you." Vilkas said and handed his brother a bottle. Farkas smiled at his twin.  
"One for me. And none for Artemis." Vilkas chirped. I sighed and shook my head at the Nords. Vilkas chuckled and they drank the mead almost needfully. It was like alcohol was a security blanket for the Nords.

Music began to fill the air as my shield-siblings finished off their drinks. My lungs shrivelled up and my heart froze. I turned around to find Mikael happily strumming away on his lute. I didn't know if I was going insane or not, but I could swear that I saw a thin white line slowly appearing and travelling up his middle finger. The music went from cheerful to sombre in a second. His eyes seemed to be turning into a haunted and frosty blue. His skin became more scarred and his grin became gruff and evil. Mikael's voice deepened and became more melodic. Shivers ran down my arms and my mouth became dry. My hands trembled violently. I looked back to find my shield siblings happily drinking another pint of mead. I looked back at Mikael and the changes in him disappeared.

Farkas wandered over to my side and stared at the bard. He swirled the drink in his tankard and then glanced over at me.  
"Do you like this song?" Farkas asked. I shook my head. I couldn't remove my eyes from Mikael. I didn't know what it was, but it felt like the bandit actually was Mikael. I looked behind at the other two Companions as a source of security.  
"Me neither. Can you ask him to play another one?" Farkas asked. I didn't want to be anywhere near Mikael and the fact that he was only across the fire pit made me feel uncomfortable.  
"You can do it yourself." I replied with a smirk.  
"Are you shy?" He asked.  
"I'm not shy, I just don't like talking to people I don't know." I replied with a grin.  
"Why don't you want to speak to him?"  
"I don't want to."  
"Do you want to marry him? Is that it? Are you shy because you want to marry him?"  
"No! Farkas, you are being ridiculous! I don't want to marry him!" I exclaimed quietly and playfully punched his arm. He chuckled and shook his head.  
"Fine, I'll ask him myself." Farkas replied and walked over to the blonde Nord on the other side of the fire. As Farkas got closer and closer to the bard, the more and more he seemed like himself. I didn't know if my mind was playing tricks on me, or if the gods were playing with me.

I wandered over to Aela and Vilkas. Vilkas didn't look like he could stand up properly without leaning on Aela. However, the huntress was still quite sober.  
"How much mead have you three drank?" I asked. Vilkas chuckled quietly as he slumped into a chair.  
"I had two, Farkas had three and Vilkas had five." Aela replied.  
"Why would you drink that much?" I asked the drunken swordsman.  
"Because I wanted to." He slurred and a grin slowly stretched across his face.  
"You can't spend the rest of the day drunk. And Farkas was supposed to leave for Solitude by now." I said and pointed to the dark haired Nord speaking with Mikael.  
"Relax. Farkas will be sober by the time he leaves." Aela said.  
"You better hope so." I replied.

Farkas wandered over with the blonde bard in tow. I glared at Farkas and he chuckled before heading over to see Aela and Vilkas, leaving me with Mikael. My eyes wandered the ceiling and avoided meeting his at all costs.  
"You're the Harbinger of the Companions, aren't you?" He asked.  
"Yeah... I-I am." I replied and looked down at the ground.  
"You seem less tough than what people say you are." Mikael said.  
"I defeated, Alduin. And I-I'm not tough, am I?" I asked and stared at the wall behind him. He placed his hand on his neck.  
"You're the Dragonborn?" He asked. I nodded.  
"I'll be going then." He replied and wandered back over to the fire.

I sighed with relief and walked over to the other were-wolves. Farkas and Vilkas chuckled at me. Aela wandered towards me and crossed her arms.  
"You really don't like talking to anybody but us and the Greybeards do you?" Aela asked with a laugh.  
"That's right." I replied with a grin.  
"There's something not right about you." Farkas said.  
"Shouldn't you be heading to Solitude now?" I asked him. He hung his head, sighed and nodded.  
"Yes, I know. I'll be on my way then." Farkas replied. He patted his brother's shoulder and smiled.  
"I'll be back soon." He said and walked out of the tavern.  
"Good luck." Vilkas slurred after his twin.

Not long after Farkas left, Aela and I helped Vilkas back to Jorrvaskr. What didn't help was that he had another bottle of mead in his hand. As soon as we were back inside, Aela and I let him slump into a chair and polish off his drink. The two of us headed into the Underforge and sat on the cool stone. We sat there in silence for a while, just enjoying each other's company. Finally, I decided to speak up.

"Aela?" I asked.  
"Yeah?" She replied.  
"Do you want to go hunting?" I questioned. She thought about this for a while and then stood up.  
"With arrows?" She asked. I shook my head.  
"With our claws and our teeth." I replied with a smirk. A smile stretched across her face as I stood up.  
"Do you want to go hunting with me?" I asked.  
"Of course. Let's go." Aela replied.

* * *

Salvia dripped from my jaw as I watched Aela rip into the carcass of her prey. Flesh fell from her teeth as she chewed and swallowed her kill. Her dark fur glistened in the sunshine as I watched her rip the skin away from the meat of her prey. I couldn't help but to look around for a kill of my own, preferably one bigger than her deer.

I could hear growling in the near distance. My heart raced and excitement rushed through my veins. I could hear sticks cracking as the footsteps got closer. I turned away from the huntress and stalked over towards the nearing beast. I got down on all fours and waited for my prey to come over. The growling came closer and closer and I waited for the right moment.

A brown sabre cat stalked out of the trees and growled at me. Its honeyed eyes darted around the forest. I crouched behind a tree and waited for it to pass me. The cat saw me at an instant and growled. I need to get better at the sneaky stuff. I stepped out of my hiding spot and slashed at it with my claws. The cat tried to swipe me, but I was too quick for it and jumped onto its back. It thrashed about and tried to get me off. I dug my teeth into its neck and it threw me off. I got back on my feet and slashed at it. The beast went to strike but I got behind it and bit into its neck again. The beast quivered under my jaw and then fell limp. I let go of its neck and blood dripped down my jaw. I howled in victory and dug my claws into the flesh before tearing the skin away from the meat.

Aela's snout lifted from the deer carcass and she turned on the direction of my kill.  
I growled happily and began to devour my prey. Aela wandered over hand glared at the meat and then looked at me. I nodded and she came up to the neck and began to share the sabre cat with me. That went better than I had expected.

The meat from the neck was almost stripped from the bone when Aela growled. I looked up from the carcass of the cat and looked up at her. She was wincing and whining. My vision danced and my head spun. My own eyes shut tightly as my blood thinned. The fur on my body continuously shortened and my claws retracted. My teeth slowly dulled to their normal sharpness. I exclaimed in pain as my spine contracted and clicked back into place. Aela's sharp yell of pain pierced my eardrums and my arms tingled from the sound of her voice. My knees wanted to collapse and my elbows felt almost disconnected to my arms. I told my feet to stay put. My vision slowly corrected itself and I could stand upright properly again. Aela stumbled closer to me and then shook her head. She sighed with relief as she stopped swaying.

Aela stood for a second and then looked down at her body. She dashed behind a tree. She stuck her head out from behind the tree. Her crimson hair slipped down the side of her exposed neck. Her eyes resembled that of a scared doe. I shook my head at her and chuckled.  
"What are you doing?" I asked. A red tinge touched her cheeks as she looked down at the ground.  
"Going to put my armour on." She replied.  
"Behind a tree?" I questioned and raised an eyebrow.  
"I'm used to hunting with men, ok?" She answered.

I clucked my tongue and rolled my eyes. I crossed my arms and glared at her. Her head disappeared behind the tree. I wandered around the back of her hiding spot and she gasped in surprise. She slunk around the side of the tree and stuck her head out again. She looked down at my chest and I could tell her eyes were focused on the silvery carving that scarred my skin.  
"Don't ask." I said with a shake of my head.  
"I won't." Aela replied.

"What are you doing behind that tree?" I asked.  
"My question is, why aren't you behind a tree?" Aela questioned in reply.  
"I don't hide from anything. Except chickens." I replied.  
"Maybe it's because you can't hide at all. You get caught too easily." Aela added.  
"That's also true." I replied with a chuckle.

I wandered over towards Aela and she shifted uncomfortably. As I blinked, she turned around and pressed her stomach against the tree and looked back at me. Her back was free of scars and her skin was smooth. Her muscles gently protruded from her back and added definition to the curves of her body. She wasn't defenceless and she could put up a good fist fight, but she wasn't as strongly built as our shield-brothers. She looked back at me and I could almost see the insecurity in her eyes. I walked up to her and placed my hand on her shoulder. Her skin shivered under my fingertips. I placed my lips on her neck and she turned around immediately.  
"Artemis! What do you think you're doing?!" She exclaimed, her eyes wide with shock. I placed my palms against the tree on either side of her face.  
"Aela, I love you." I whispered and pressed my lips up against hers.

Her lips were incredibly soft and I could taste blood on her tender skin. I closed my eyes and ran my hands down her curves. I rested my hands on her hips as her fingers ran up the my cheeks and into my hair. Her lips left mine and I heard her sigh slightly. My heart beat faster as her hands gripped my hair tightly and crushed her lips onto mine. I moaned happily as her tongue gently ran over my bottom lip. Her heart throbbed against her chest and I could feel hers beating almost in sync with mine. Aela's hands ran down the back of my neck and little tremors followed her fingertips down my spine. My hands ran up her body and tangled themselves in her luscious fiery hair. She sighed as she pulled her lips away from mine. Her lips trailed down the side of my chin and down to my neck. I moaned as she licked my skin. Her lips trailed up my neck again and pressed themselves against mine. Her hands grasped my waist tightly as her lips lovingly attached themselves to mine. I hummed and I could feel her nails running across my hips. She pulled her lips away, chuckled and then bit my lip gently. Her teeth left my lip and we just stood there for a while, our eyes closed and our foreheads pressed together. I could feel her hot breath on my neck and I sighed with content.

"What was that for?" She asked as the bubble of ecstasy that surrounded us melted away into the surroundings.  
"I... I'm in love with you Aela." I replied. My cheeks burned and I looked down towards my feet to avoid her gaze. She lifted my chin up and smiled at me. She gently pressed her lips against mine and then pulled away. My lips quivered slightly as she took my hand.  
"I'm in love with you too." Aela replied and smiled sweetly. My heart skipped a few beats as her words reached my ears. Aela cleared her throat and let go of my hand.  
"Do you think we should head back?" She asked. I nodded and we put our armour on before we headed back to Whiterun.


	4. Chapter 4

I sat on the outside steps of the training yard and stared up at the starry sky. The bandit plagued my dreams yet again and I didn't want to fall asleep. Aela wandered outside and sat down next to me. She wrapped her arm around my shoulder and held me close.  
"Why aren't you asleep like the others?" She asked.  
"Nightmares." I replied and rested my head on her shoulder. She kissed my head and hugged me tighter. I sighed and wrapped my arms around her waist.  
"They're just dreams. They can't hurt you." Aela whispered and kissed my ear.  
"I know. But they're from my past. That's why it's bothering me so much." I replied.  
"Was it really that bad?" Aela asked. I hummed an uneasy tune.  
"At the start it wasn't too bad. Like the time I first was attacked by a chicken. I was six at the time and I was happily petting the family chicken. Father spooked the bird and it went berserk. I never went near that chicken again... But, they progressively got worse. Much worse." I replied.  
"Like?" She asked. I gulped as my mind reverted back to the attack on my family home.  
"Were-wolf hunters burned down my home and slaughtered my family." I replied and then looked up at the stars, trying to fight back tears.

"Artemis, I'm sorry to hear that." Aela whispered. She kissed my cheek and hugged me close.  
"Don't feel sorry for me Aela, that makes things worse." I replied. She gave me a weak smile before letting me go. She placed her hands on her lap and twiddled her thumbs. I chuckled a little and quickly kissed her lips. She blushed a little and smiled at me again.  
"Do you think you could get to sleep now?" Aela asked. I wasn't sure how to answer her question, so I just shrugged.  
"You can go back to sleep if you want." I replied.

She took my hand and kissed my cheek. Aela stood up and headed back into the mead hall. The doors swung closed behind her and I wrapped my arms around my knees and hugged them close to my chest. I picked out a few constellations that hid behind the auroras that danced across the sky. Beautiful aquas and brilliant purples twisted together and looked stunning against the dark backdrop of the starry sky. The stars twinkled as the moons lit up the sky. I stood up and moved to the middle of the training yard and laid down on the cool stone. The cold prickled the back of my neck and the rest of my exposed skin. I wanted to just lay on the stone for the rest of the night, but I knew that I couldn't stay here forever. I watched the auroras dance around the sky slowly and gracefully.

I closed my eyes and slowly drifted off to sleep. I kept waking up because the cold pricked at my skin. I enjoyed the sensation though, but I didn't like the fact that birds could just let their droppings fall on me and laugh. And to be honest, I wasn't fond of having birds treat me as a piece of concrete. I got off the ground and wandered towards the Underforge. I walked in and sat down with my back against the cool wall of the stone cave. I laid my head on my shoulder and closed my eyes once more. I drifted off to sleep easier this time as I heard the wind quietly howl around the exit of the Underforge. The coldness of the stone kept away the bone chilling gaze of the bandit.

I slowly opened my eyes as the sunlight poured in. I stretched my arms above my head and yawned loudly. I got off of the ground and wandered out the concealed entrance of the Underforge. I stumbled out into the training yard and sat at the bottom steps of the Skyforge. Eorland walked up the steps and stepped past me. I heard his footsteps stop and he came back and stood next to me. He crossed his arms and looked down at me. I lifted my head and looked back up at him.  
"What are you doing down there?" He asked.  
"Nothing much. Just watching the world go by." I replied. I stood up and smiled. He chuckled and shook his head.  
"You Imperials are confusing." He said and wandered up to the Skyforge.

I walked back down to Jorrvaskr and Aela met me at the back entrance.  
"You didn't come in last night." She said. I laughed and nodded.  
"I slept in the Underforge last night." I replied. She looked at me as if I was crazy. That wasn't the first time she's looked at me like that though.  
"You're ridiculous." Aela said. I pulled out my bow and grinned.  
"Archery contest?" I asked. She took her bow out and smirked.  
"Let's do this." Aela replied and then we headed towards the targets.

I pulled out a glass arrow and notched it onto my bow as Aela did the same with her iron arrows. She drew back the string and let the arrow go. The arrow whizzed through the air and pierced the target on the second circle from the middle. She smirked and nodded at me as she placed her bow back in her sheath. I chuckled and pulled back my drawstring. I let the string go and the arrow flew through the air. It hit just below Aela's, but a little more to the left. I sighed with defeat and put my bow away.  
"You win." I admitted with a roll of my eyes. She laughed and punched my arm playfully.  
"Yes, yes I did." Aela chirped happily.

We chuckled and sat at the table on the verandah. She munched on a piece of bread and I took a bite of my sweetroll. The shadows danced over her face and made the wolf in her shine through. It was trying to claw it's way out of her, but she was trying her best to keep it in. My heart beat faster and I could feel my blood beginning to thicken. I bit my lip to try and keep it under control before things got out of hand. Aela chuckled with her mouth full of food and she held her hand to her mouth in order to stop bits of chewed up bread from falling out. I smiled as she swallowed her food. She then smiled back at me and my blood thinned out. She grasped a bottle of mead and went to drink it. I leaned over the table and took it from her.  
"Hey! What was that for?" She asked loudly.  
"I don't want you to get drunk. Remember yesterday when we had to drag Vilkas back from the tavern?" I questioned in reply. She sighed and nodded.  
"Fine, I won't drink." Aela sulkily replied and crossed her arms as I placed the bottle on the other end of the table.

She looked at the bottle intently and I rolled my eyes. Nords and their mead. Honestly, it's like the stuff is a security blanket or something. She slid across the seat slightly and eyed the mead. I sighed as picked up the bottle and handed it to her. Her face lit up and a smile touched her lips as she quickly grabbed the mead from me and started to drink it.  
"Easy, it's the only drink you're getting today." I replied with a chuckle. Aela still didn't show any sign of wanting to drink it slowly. She had finished the entire bottle in two minutes and slammed the base onto the table. I wasn't surprised by this at all. She smirked and crossed her arms again. I sighed and pursed my lips. I placed my palms flat on the table and slumped back. She grabbed one of my hands and gripped it tightly. I smiled and straightened up a little. I could feel my cheeks slowly beginning to burn. I need to get her talking in order for her not to realise that I'm blushing, but by then it might be too late.

"Any jobs that need doing?" I asked. Aela thought for a bit.  
"No, it's been very quiet lately." Aela replied.  
"Oh." I said. I stayed quiet for a little bit and thought about places that I hadn't visited in a few days or places I had only seen but never been into.  
"Hey Aela. Do you want to go out?" I asked. She raised her eyebrow and smirked.  
"And do what?" She questioned in reply.  
"Mara's Eye Pond. The pond is rumoured to be infested with filthy bloodsuckers that come out during the night and steal sleeping humans from their beds and carry them back into their lair to kill them and drink their blood." I replied and wiggled my fingers with a creepy smile. Aela chuckled at me and nodded.  
"A chance to kill vampires? I'm in." Aela said with a cheeky grin. I knew that she'd be up for it. Her eyes sparkled with glee and I couldn't help but to smile.  
"Good. We'll go when you're ready." I replied. Aela stood up and placed both hands on her hips.

"We're going now." She chirped with a smirk. I shook my head and sighed.  
"It's a long journey Aela. We need to bring lots of food, drinks and potions." I replied. She nodded in understanding.  
"Right, let's do that first." She said and I stood up.  
"I'll get the food, you get the potions. And we'll meet at the stables." I instructed.  
"I'll meet you there." Aela replied and we headed off in our separate ways.

The blades of grass around our feet swayed in the chilling breeze as Aela's eyes darted toward me. She briefly looked down at the trapdoor and then looked back up at me.  
"Now?" She asked with a weary sigh. We had been standing outside the trapdoor for ten minutes and Aela was getting impatient.  
"No. You know that I can't sneak! I want to take it nice and easy." I replied with a hushed tone. She groaned with impatience and shook her head. I knew that she wanted to go in and slay some vampires really badly.

She crouched and opened the hatch. I slid into the hole and she followed after me. Her footsteps were silent like the night as she stepped down the ladder. However, I wasn't so fortunate to be as quiet. I stubbed my toe on one of the steps and hissed. Aela quietly hushed me and I quickly clambered down the ladder. I tried to silently get down from the ladder, but my footsteps echoed through the mouldy cavern. Aela effortlessly jumped down from the ladder and soundlessly crept behind me. It's times like these that I wish that my stealth skills were as highly advanced as hers. But deep down, I know that it could not be possible.

We stopped and hid in a dark corner of the cavern and checked to see if the coast was clear. In the silence, we could hear snoring in the background. It echoed through the cave and battered my eardrums. I turned to find Aela's face wrinkling up with distaste. I tried to hold back a chuckle as the snoring got louder and louder. I could feel Aela breathing on the back of my neck and I could feel her chest vibrating against my arm with silent laughter. I rolled my eyes at her and shook my head. Aela nudged my back and I nodded. I tried to silently move out from the corner but ended up stubbing my toe on the edge of a wooden coffin that smelt slightly of mould. I bit my lip and tried to muffle a squeal of pain. Aela silently hissed at me as she saw movement coming from the coffin. But the snoring still echoed through the cavern. The awakening vampire settled back down and we both silently sighed with relief.

I wandered away from the edge of the wooden box and tiptoed my way through the gruesome remains of their meals, trying not to kick any bones as I went past. Blood was splattered all over the ground. My heart raced as my blood was beginning to thicken. I squeezed my eyes shut and tried to calm myself down. If I went wolf, our plan of a stealthy attack would be ruined. Aela followed after me, much swifter than I. She manoeuvred around the bones quickly and quietly.

I looked down to find that I was on the edge of a pond of water. Cages ran across the deepest edge of the wall and a Vigilant lay dead. I shook my head with disappointment. They should really leave disposing of vampires to us werewolves. Aela stood beside me and looked in the direction of the Vigilant and shook her head also. The little bits of light reflected off of the water and projected them onto the ceiling. I side glanced quickly and saw Aela staring at it to.

Suddenly, a very cheeky idea popped into my head. I casually and quietly walked behind her and slammed my shoulder into her upper back. She let out a yelp as she toppled over into the water. Some stray droplets sprayed onto me as she stood up, water dripped off of her constantly. Her fiery red hair flopped over her face and her warpaint was running down her neck. The fabric of her armour was extremely damp and I could almost see her perfect creamy skin through it. She flicked her hair off of her face and wiped off her warpaint before it got into her eyes. Those stray droplets that landed on me felt cold. I couldn't imagine how freezing Aela must have been. Then again, the goosebumps on her exposed flesh and her perked nipples gave me an indication of the water's temperature. She waded to the edge and clambered up onto the dryish stone. I could hear the vampires stirring, but I didn't care about them, I was too happy with Aela. She finally stood up and glared at me. She wiped her forearm across my face and my spine tingled from the coolness of her skin. I laughed and pushed her arm away. She placed her other arm on my face and I swatted her arm away.  
"Quit it!" I exclaimed with a laugh.

The smile on Aela's face dropped and she reached for her blade and her shield. I pulled out my twin swords and turned around. There were four vampires blocking the way out. Their black robes reeked of dried blood, rotting flesh and mould. The vampires cast their blood draining spells on us and moved backwards. Aela charged at one of them and smacked her shield into his face before skewering him with her blade. I ran up to the closest vampire and kicked her stomach. She toppled to the ground and I placed both blades around the bloodsucker's head before beheading her. Aela dashed over to her second assailant and crouched as she sliced through the knee of the vampire. She jumped onto the bloodsucker and stabbed her blade into his chest. I threw my blade at the second vampire draining my strength and it pinned her against the wall. She struggled to get off of my sword as I plunged my second sword into her throat.

I gasped with relief as the tightness around my chest disappeared. She gasped and leant over to catch he breath. She had blood splattered all over her shield and her blade was coated with the red liquid. My blades seemed to enjoy having blood trickle down its sides as the crimson gleamed with glee. We looked at each other and chuckled happily. Thank Azura and Hircine that those vampires were relatively easy to dispatch. We headed towards the freezing water to clean our weapons. Aela dipped her shield and her blade into the water as I did the same with my swords.  
"Now that was entertaining. Shame they didn't put up much of a fight." Aela said with a grin. We took out our weapons from the water and shook the droplets off of them as we put them back in their rightful places.  
"It is a shame... But putting them down was fun." I replied and laughed.

Aela's chuckles were almost as loud as mine. I found that my voice broke as her laughter continued. It echoed through the cavern. My breathing stopped and her voice made my heart swell with joy. It sounded better than anything a master bard could weave together. I stared at her as her happiness radiated all around her. Nothing pleased me more than seeing a smile on her beautiful face. Her icy blue eyes twinkled with the luminosity of a hundred diamonds.

Her laughter died down and she stared at me with confusion. I stood there as she wandered over and waved her hand in front of my face. I blinked a few times and shook my head to clear my thoughts.  
"Artemis? What are you doing?" She asked.  
"Sorry, I'm... I'm just staring at you." I replied with a half smile.  
"Why?" She asked with an inquisitive nudge.  
"You're so beautiful." I replied. Beneath the green splotches of paint, I could see her cheeks burning. She looked down at the stone beneath her feet and twiddled her thumbs. She was silent for a while and I pulled out a linen cloth. I wet the cloth and headed over to her. She looked up at me and I smiled. Her warpaint was all over her face. I dabbed the cloth on a large spot of green and she shivered.  
"I know the water is cold. Bear with me here." I said and continued to wipe the paint off of her face. Once her face was clean, I threw the rag on the floor and Aela smiled.  
"Thanks." She said.  
"Don't worry about it." I replied with a shrug. We headed out of the cavern and wandered back to Whiterun.


	5. Chapter 5

_The chickens clucked around me and I swatted them away as best as I could. The cramped cage was claustrophobic with all the poultry and myself inside. There was barely any space to move. The clucking of the birds drove me towards the edge of insanity. I yelped every time I was pecked at and tears streamed down my face. Their dark beady eyes stared into the depths of my mind and gripped me with their cold gazes. I wanted to get out and get away from the bandit and his damned chickens. I'd tried to escape the bandit three times already and had no luck. The silver necklace dangling on my neck was irritating my skin. The silver amulet was keeping the beast contained and I hated being restricted._

_The bandit walked by the cage and looked straight at me. Tears streamed down my face and I whimpered loudly as a bird jumped onto my lap. He smirked as he picked up an axe and headed over to the wood chopping block. I pushed through the chickens, who flapped their wings in my face, as I made my way to the wire of the cage. I wanted to get out of the chicken coop. But I knew that the bandit wanted me to stay in there as long as he could before I went insane. Over the sounds of the hysterical chickens and my heart pounding, I could hear the axe splitting wood. The next time he passed the coop, he had a whole bundle of wood in his arms and he lugged it to the pile near my prison._

_He stalked over to the cage and crossed his arms as he stared down his nose at me. His eyes were almost glowing with satisfaction. The silver began to burn through my skin with the rage of a thousand flames. I squeezed my eyes shut as tears still trembled down my face like a waterfall. He opened the cage and pulled me out. He set me on the ground and stood before me._  
_"Stop blubbering, you filthy milk-drinker. You're damn lucky that I haven't killed you already." He muttered. I wiped away the tears and he shook his head at me. My neck was beginning to burn and I couldn't take it. I wanted to get that necklace off._

_I clasped my fingers around the silver chain and hissed with pain as I tried to break the chain binding my wolf. Pain began to seep through my skin and it gripped my bones. Tears welled in my eyes as the pain on my neck worsened. He gripped my wrists and pulled them away from the necklace._  
_"Don't even think about it! That necklace will stay on your neck!" The bandit exclaimed and held my wrists in his hands firmly. The burning in my hands was disappearing but the burning on my neck wasn't leaving._  
_"It hurts..." I whimpered. He rolled his eyes and shook his head._  
_"Don't be stupid. It's just a metal." He hissed. He let go of my hands and gripped my upper arm._  
_"Now get back in your cage!" He exclaimed and threw me into the prison. He closed the metal bars and it locked automatically._

_The prison was a metal box with straw littered all over the ground. It was cold, isolated and restrictive. At least it wasn't anything like the chicken coop. I was happy to be away from those psychotic chickens. I winced as the necklace continued to irritate my skin. It wasn't as bad as before, but it still hurt. As a child, I was always highly allergic to silver. When I helped mother with the forge, I had to wear gloves when I worked with silver. When it came to cutting silver, mother had to do it because the shards could get into my skin and that would've been painful. I think I got the allergy from mother. She was the werewolf of the family. Suddenly, my stomach began to twist itself in knots. I didn't realise that the wounds from that night were still open._

_My stomach released itself as the bandit threw a piece of bread into the cage. I picked it up and stared at the white part of the bread and sighed. It looked stale. I wasn't going to pass up on a bit of food, I was really hungry. I ate the bread quickly to avoid having to taste the staleness of the food. But my attempt to dodge the taste failed. I crawled to the back of the cage, wrapped my arms around my knees and closed my eyes. It wasn't long before I found myself drifting off to sleep._

_I could hear the bandit shouting at passers-by, probably an attempt to earn an extra few septims off of me and them. I yawned and stretched my arms out in front of me. I knew that I wasn't going to go to sleep again any time soon. Then, there was more shouting and the sounds of unsheathing blades rang through the air. Battle-cries and the clang of metal followed. I crawled to the front of the cage and watched the scene that unfurled. The bandit tried to fight off what looked like a troop of Imperial soldiers. The soldiers blocked and parried every move the bandit made. His sword came in contact with their shields every time. An archer sent arrows whizzing through the air and striking the ground near the bandit's feet. I could see the rage in the bandit's eyes as he continued to try and hack through the ranks of soldiers. An arrow struck his shoulder and he hissed with pain. Blood trickled down his weathered leather armour as he continued his assault._  
_"Stop!" A strong voice bellowed from the ranks of men. Both the bandit and the Legion stopped their attacks._

_A lone soldier stepped out from the front line. He held his shield up and his sword poised like a serpent. His sapphire eyes sparkled with determination. He didn't look any older than me._  
_"Leave him to me." The soldier said. The rest of the Legion's men watched with eagerness, waiting for one of their youngest to prove himself. This man seemed rather chivalrous, much unlike the bandit. The soldier's hair was the same colour as the bark of a young, healthy tree. The bandit grinned menacingly as he waited for his opponent to make his move. I clutched the bars and intently watched the oncoming battle. My hands shook with anticipation as silence draped itself over the scene._

_The solider began to advance and the bandit took up a defensive position. The two of them circled each other like wolves fighting for the last scrap of meat. The bandit lunged at the man and he slammed his shield into the blonde Nord's face. The bandit staggered backward as blood streamed out of his nose. I didn't know what came over me, but I felt hungry. Whether I was hungry for revenge or my other side was hungry for flesh, I wouldn't have known. The soldier swung his sword out toward the bandit but he jumped out of the way. Sweat dripped down the bandit's face as he stared down the Nord soldier. He wiped the blood from the top of his lip and breathed out loudly. The Nord soldier stepped closer to the bandit with his shield high and his sword drawn. I wanted to break out of the cage and help the soldier, but the necklace restricted me from doing so. The bandit struck the shield and his sword got lodged into the wood._

_The bandit let go of the blade as the soldier swung his sword at him. He ran toward the man and pounced on him. The bandit slammed his elbow onto the solider's hand, forcing him to release his shield. I could see the pain on the young man's face as the bandit smirked and pulled out a dagger. The soldier bashed the side of the bandit's head with the hilt of his sword. He bandit rolled off of his middle and the soldier swung the sword around and managed to severe the head of the bandit._

_The head rolled away from the corpse as it slowly made its way towards the feet of the first line of soldiers. There was a pause as the brown haired Nord got to his feet. His comrades cheered as he wiped his brow. I was happy that the bandit was killed, but I wanted to be the one to kill him. Once the cheering died down, they went about searching through the camp, possibly for useful objects and spare septims that would be lying around. I crawled back to the end of the cage and tried not to make a sound. I watched them wander around, moving things in the tent, pulling out the chickens and looking through chests. I sat in the darkest corner of the cage and prayed that they wouldn't come anywhere near the cage. A pair of legs stopped at the cage and shivers ran up my spine._  
_"Hey, over here. It seems to be a cage." A voice called. Another set of legs appeared at the bars. This man knelt down and fiddled with the lock. With a few twists, the lock clicked open._

_He swung open the door and I sat there as still as I could, waiting for them to walk away. But my hopes were quickly diminished as the soldier almost crawled into the cage and held his hand out to me. I tried to push against the bars, but they wouldn't budge._  
_"I won't hurt you. It's safe to come out." He said. He sounded like the soldier that killed the bandit. I wrapped my arms around my knees and shook my head._  
_"Who are you?" He asked. I guess he wanted to break the ice so that he could coax me out of the cage._  
_"Artemis Moonshadow." I replied quietly. He smiled and placed his hand on the metal base._  
_"I'm Hadvar. It's nice to meet you. I promise that I won't hurt you. I want to help you." He said._

_Just as I suspected. He was trying to use sweet words to coax me out of the cage. I growled and tried to squiggle away from him. Most of the men that hired me said sweet things and did nice things to try and get me to get into bed with them without me putting up a fight. I knew his type and I knew it well._  
_"Hadvar... This lowlife you killed didn't even know how to keep animals." The soldier outside said._  
_"I... am not... a-an animal!" I hissed and placed my forehead on my knees. Hadvar placed his hand on my shoulder and I scooted away from him. He sighed defeatedly and crawled out of the cage._

_"What's in there?" One of the soldiers asked._  
_"A woman. She looks pretty bad. The skin on her neck is bright red and she looks as if she's starving." He replied. He stuck his head into the cage again and smiled at me. I frowned back and tried to turn my back to him. I gasped with shock as I felt two arms wrap themselves around me. I screamed and thrashed about, but he didn't want to let me go. He dragged me out of the cage and placed me down gently on the ground. Hadvar didn't seem to be one of those guys, but I still didn't trust him. I went to get up, but the second soldier near the cage rushed over and gripped my wrist as he pulled me up._  
_"Where do you think you're going?" He bellowed. Spit from his mouth rained down on my cheek and I groaned with disgust. I stayed silent. I hate being yelled at. There was no way that I was going to reply to him. Hadvar walked over to me and ripped his hand off of my wrist._  
_"Are you alright? How long have you been here?" He asked. His eyes were similar to the bandit's, but they were more friendly and inviting._  
_"I've been here... for... t-two years I think." I replied._  
_"I think we should take her to Solitude and see what we can do to help her." Hadvar said to his comrade. The pig scoffed and smirked._  
_"Whatever you wish. But don't get her mixed up with the rebels if you do." He replied and marched away._

_Hadvar sighed and shook his head before turning to me._  
_"I'm taking you to Solitude to help you. Don't worry, I'll make sure that you stay safe." Hadvar told me. I saw out of the corner of my eye that he was looking at the red marks on my neck._  
_"What's wrong with your neck?" He asked._  
_"I'm... I'm highly allergic... to silver." I replied._  
_"Haven't you tried taking it off?" He asked. I nodded and he looked at me with confusion._  
_"C-can you t-take it off... For me?" I asked. He nodded and lifted the necklace off of my neck and took it off without making it touch any part of my skin. I could feel my inner beast sighing with relief once the necklace was off. He pocketed the jewellery and lightly gripped my upper arm._  
_"Come on. We're leaving soon. You can walk with me if you wish." Hadvar said. I nodded silently and we headed toward the wagons and the horses._

* * *

_It was utter chaos. Men in brown and blue cuirasses fought the Imperial soldiers. Hadvar ran off on me and fought with a blonde haired Nord in blue and brown. It was obvious that these two knew each other. They fought like werewolves and vampires. I was pushed and shoved further into the fight. Eventually, the blue and brown soldiers were captured, but so was I. I tried to get out of my binds but I was hit across the head and an unbearable pain gripped my head as I toppled to the ground and was dragged to the last wagon. My consciousness slipped away as the carriage began to move._

I slowly awoke to Ria's gentle snoring. It was good to be back in our own beds in Jorrvaskr. But I didn't realise that the bed was so squishy and small. Hang on... There was something solid next to me. I poked it and a groan sounded from the being next to me. I realised that the object next to me was a human being. To be more specific, a woman. She turned around and snuggled up onto my chest. I could smell her familiar wolfish scent. Her soft hair tickled my chin as she nuzzled my neck. It took me a few seconds to realise that it was Aela who was asleep beside me. She sighed happily as her hands mindlessly roamed my body. I smiled and closed my eyes to get some extra rest.

It wasn't long before Aela was awake. She was poking and prodding me continuously in the arm. I opened my eyes and she chuckled before sitting up.  
"Good morning Artemis." She cooed and flicked a stray hair away from my nose.  
"Good morning Aela." I replied with a grin.  
"Sleep well?" I asked her. She shrugged.  
"As well as I can." She replied. I slid out of bed and she lay on her side. She gazed at me as I yawned and stretched my arms above my head.  
"That's good." I said. She must have reapplied her warpaint because it was flawless. She was so beautiful. I couldn't stop staring at her. I could see pink slowly creeping onto her cheeks. I could hear the others starting to wake-up, but I didn't mind. However, Aela was uncomfortable with that.

"Come with me. We need to talk." She said and got up. She lead me to her bedroom and I closed the door behind me. She sat on her bed and looked up at me.  
"What did you want to talk about?" I asked. She sighed and clasped her hands together.  
"You have a terrible habit." Aela said with a shake of her head.  
"Of?" I questioned, beginning to get a little concerned.  
"You talk and cry in your sleep. The talking is okay, I can deal with that. But it's the crying that has me concerned." Aela replied. I never knew that I talked in my sleep. However, I have cried in my sleep a few times since the nightmares began. I sat down next to her and she placed her hand on my shoulder.

My vision went blurry. I couldn't see properly. I could hear Aela's voice, but I couldn't understand her. Her words made no sense. The world turned on its head and I was trying to hold onto what was left of normal gravity. It became dark and I couldn't see Aela's fiery red hair anymore. In its place, dancers clothed in crimson, orange, violet and yellow pranced about the darkness, illuminating it with an unwanted light. I could smell wood and flesh burning and my nose crinkled up in disgust. I could hear the agonised screams of my parents as the cloaks of fire pirouetted and leaped against the darkness around me. My heart raced and my breathing stopped. I whimpered quietly.  
"Stop whimpering. You aren't even a proper werewolf. You couldn't even scare a goat." His voice echoed. Shivers ran down my spine as the hairs on my arms stood on end. I whimpered even louder. I knew that voice and I knew it well. Too well, in fact. A heavy hand slammed itself into the back of my head and my head began to pound. I screeched and then whimpered again as I gripped my aching head.  
"I told you to stop whimpering you sorry excuse for a whore!" He exclaimed. Tears welled in my eyes. My chest was aching. I wanted it to stop. I wanted to see reality again. Silver swords rose from the smoke around me and they all pointed at my throat. I didn't want to be surrounded by weapons. I didn't want to be surrounded by familiar pains. I just wanted to be in Aela's arms, safe and sound.  
"That's pathetic." He said flatly.

I brought my knees up to me chest and wrapped my arms around my kneecaps. The swords wavered for a second and then they dropped into the darkness. The voice in my head faded as the flames died down. The air began to smell of sweetrolls and mead again. The darkness slipped away and my vision came back. Aela's fiery hair and her frosty eyes were the first things that I noticed straight away. Her fingertips were cold, but her eyes were warm.

"Artemis? Artemis? What is wrong with you?" She asked. Her hands were on either side of my shoulders and she stared at me with concern. I shook my head and smiled.  
"Nothing. Nothing's wrong. I'm fine now." I replied. I ran my fingers down the side of her face and kissed her lips gently. She sighed as I pulled away. Her hands travelled down my hips and she pressed her lips up against my cheek. My fingers traced her collarbone as she captured my lips with hers. I closed my eyes and enjoyed the pleasure of being with Aela.

Once she removed her lips from mine, I gently pushed her onto her bed and climbed on top of her. I sat on her midriff and placed sweet kisses on her neck. She sighed happily as her hands ran up my hips and held onto my waist. I went to kiss her lips, but Aela turned away.  
"What's wrong?" I asked. Pink creeped up onto her cheeks as she looked back up at me.  
"I'm a little uncomfortable with this." Aela replied. I chuckled and smirked.  
"I know what I'm doing. Allow me to make you comfortable." I said and pressed my lips up against hers and ran my hands up to her chest. She pushed my hands down to her waist and tenderly bit my bottom lip. Hang on... Didn't she say she was uncomfortable with this? I broke the kiss and she sighed with disappointment. I looked at her with confusion and she chuckled.  
"What was that?" I asked.  
"Me getting comfortable." She replied with a smug grin.

I rolled my eyes at her and laid down on her before I captured her lips with mine. She moaned as I placed my hand on her breast and gave it a light squeeze. She took my bottom lip in her teeth and bit it before she went back to kissing me. Aela definitely knew how to tease me. She pulled her lips away from mine and she kissed my neck.  
"Aela, keep doing that... That feels good." I moaned. She hummed in reply. She bit my neck countlessly and I moaned happily. She chuckled and the feeling of the vibration against my skin was magic. I massaged her breast and she moaned in my ear. I placed my lips all over her neck and ran my lips up her jaw. She pressed her lips against mine and ran her hands down my back.

There was a loud knock at the door and Aela rolled me off of her. But when she did so, I fell onto the ground. My back began to ache as I peeled myself off the floor. Farkas opened the door and raised an eyebrow. He smirked playfully as I brushed the dust off of me.  
"I'm back! And what happened here?" Farkas asked, his eyes glinting with mischief.  
"Nothing." Aela replied. I was happy that she lied so I didn't have to. I always leave the sneaky stuff to Aela. He looked at us with suspicion and then walked out.  
"I'll be watching you two..." He replied. His tone mocked everything that was sinister in the world and I couldn't help but to giggle. Aela burst out in laughter after he left.

"There's no such thing as privacy here." I said and rolled my eyes.  
"Why don't you ever go to your house if you want privacy?" Aela asked.  
"I don't want to be lonely. And Lydia isn't the best company to have..." I replied. Aela sat up and smiled at me.  
"I'm sure one night alone won't be too bad. But, if you really don't want to be alone, I'll go with you." She said.  
"Really?" I asked.  
"Of course. But only if Lydia keep her distance. I don't like her." Aela replied with a grin. I laughed and nodded.  
"I'll talk to her about it. Thanks Aela." I said and smiled. She stood up and wandered towards the door.  
"Enough about that, I'm hungry and I'm thirsty. Do you want to get breakfast?" She asked. I laughed. Classic Aela. I nodded. I was feeling a little peckish myself.  
"Sure. Let's go." I replied and we headed off to meet with the others upstairs.


	6. Chapter 6

Aela and I sat on the ground in front of the fire with my head resting on her shoulder. Lydia sat on the top of the staircase, staring intently at us. I could feel the tension between Aela and Lydia. I tried to shrug it off as I enjoyed some quality time with Aela. I sighed happily as her hand draped itself over my hip. Aela's heartbeat whispered the qualities that I loved her so much for. Strength. Steadiness. Accuracy. Loyalty. It was all there, just in those soft thuds that told me she was still alive. A wave of happiness washed over me as Aela held me closer. I felt safe with her. The safest I've felt in years.

Lydia continued to stare at us and I was getting a little uncomfortable. I looked up at Aela to find her glaring back at Lydia. I hadn't realised that the two women were death-staring each other the whole time until now. I didn't like the atmosphere of the house anymore.  
"Aela?" I whispered. The huntress hummed in reply and looked down at me. Her expression instantly softened. However, Lydia seemed to get more tense.  
"You alright?" I questioned. She nodded in reply.

"Lydia?" I asked. The housecarl stood and nodded to me. Her serious expression turned into one of boredom.  
"Yes, my Thane?" She questioned with that monotonous voice that drove me insane.  
"Do you mind going to bed early?" I asked.  
"Not at all my Thane. Goodnight." Lydia replied, hesitation lingered on every word she spoke as she turned and headed off to bed. Aela relaxed instantly and held me tighter. I didn't know why these two hated each other so much. But then again, Lydia had an annoying habit of getting in the way and stealing my kills. She always sat in her chair, chewing on her loaf of bread, constantly staring at me. That and she was pretty much always rude to everyone. Long story short, Lydia was not a very nice companion to travel with or to live with.

"You two really don't get along, do you?" I asked quietly. Aela lightly chuckled as she shook her head.  
"No we don't." She replied with a smile. Her voice was hushed. I guessed that she didn't want Lydia hearing her answer. And I didn't blame her. Lydia was somebody who's bad side is not something anyone would like to be on.  
"Why not?" I asked. She gently pushed my head off of her shoulder and shrugged.  
"She's just... So difficult." Aela whispered and pursed her lips. I chuckled and wrapped my arms around her waist.  
"I know that for a fact. Why do you think I spent more time at Jorrvaskr?" I asked with a laugh.

Aela smiled and she held me close. Happiness rushed through my body as her fingers traced circles around my exposed shoulder. I sighed and she kissed my cheek. I awkwardly craned my neck in an attempt to kiss her. She chuckled and let of me as she dodged my lips. I ended up falling on her lap and she laughed louder. She ran her fingers through my hair as her laughter died down. Her touch gave me a sense of peace that I hadn't felt in a very long time. She hummed a tune that I heard Mikael play the Bannered Mare. Mikael's rendition of the song had nothing on Aela's melodious voice. Just listening to her calmed me so much, I felt like I was drifting off to sleep in her arms.

I got off of the ground and stretched up toward the ceiling. She gazed up at me and I smiled at her.  
"Tired?" I asked. She shook her head and stood up.  
"No, but I know you are." She replied with a chuckle. I wrapped my arms around her and buried my face in her neck. She sighed happily and ran her fingers through my hair. Her actions made my eyelids droop but sent shivers trembling through my body. Her touch was so calming, but so intoxicating at the same time. I held her tighter and she ran her hands down my sides to pull me closer.

"Aela?" I asked. Aela hummed in reply. I looked up at her and saw her tiredness show through. She yawned loudly and held me tighter. I sighed and shook my head.  
"You lied." I stated with a smirk. She looked at me with horror and shook her head.  
"What did I do?" She asked wildly. Her reaction was hilarious. I couldn't stop laughing.  
"You said you weren't tired. Obviously, you lied, because you are tired." I replied with a grin spread across my face from ear to ear. She sighed with relief and held me closer.  
"You scared me for a moment there." She replied and shook her head at me. I laughed and hugged her tighter.  
"Do you want to go to bed?" I asked and rubbed one of my eyes. She nodded and kissed my forehead. I led her upstairs and we climbed into bed. I rested my head on Aela's chest and closed my eyes. She began to stroke my head as I drifted off to sleep.

* * *

I awoke to the distant sound of singing. I tried to calm myself as I tried to figure out who it could've been. It wasn't Aela, I knew that much. It sounded too masculine to be Lydia, but more melodious than Mikael. My heart raced and my breathing ceased. No... It couldn't have been, could it? The voice began to laugh manically. It got louder and my chest tightened. Oh dear Hircine, dear Azura... Please don't let it be him...

"Hello you sorry excuse for a slut." He said, practically spitting his words at me. I sat up and tried to repress the urge to scream. My skin crawled and my muscles froze.  
"G-go... away." I said. My tongue was tied and I couldn't speak properly. This was him alright. He was standing at the edge of the bed. I had seen many ghosts before, but he was in flesh and blood. He was real. He shook his head at me and sat on the bed. I glanced down at Aela, who was still asleep. I went to shake her awake, but the bandit had pulled out his silver dagger and pointed it at my throat. He shook his head and grinned.  
"I wouldn't do that if I were you..." He mused. I whimpered and nudged Aela's leg with my knee. She stirred, but she didn't seem to wake up. He snickered and crossed his arms.

"Is she your knight in shining armour?" He asked mockingly. I looked back down at her and even though she wasn't awake, I felt a little more at ease. I could breathe a little easier, knowing that Aela was right beside me this time. He laughed loudly and his mouth spread into a vicious grin.  
"Oh, you really are a chicken, aren't you?" He asked. His face then drooped as he pointed the dagger at the sleeping huntress. Tears welled in my eyes. They trickled down my cheeks like waterfalls.  
"Pathetic. Utterly pathetic." He replied. I worked up the courage to untie my tongue. I screamed loudly and the bandit stumbled backward as Aela shot up and Lydia bounded into the bedroom seconds later with her sword in her hand.

"My Thane! Are you alright?" Lydia asked. Aela held me close and stroked my cheek as I trembled.  
"Getting help? You really are weak, aren't you?" He said snidely. He sat on the edge of my side of the bed. I moved my legs closer to my body in response.  
"He's here! Get him away from me!" I exclaimed.  
"Who?!" Lydia asked and quickly scanned the room.

"The bandit!" I replied. Tears still streamed down my face as Aela held me close. She stroked my head and shushed me gently.  
"The bandit!" He mocked and held his hands up to his face. He cruelly mimicked my fear as he did so.  
"S-shut it! Leave me alone!" I exclaimed. He snickered and shook his head at me.  
"I can't leave you alone. I've branded you. You belong to me." He replied angrily. I could practically smell the anger radiating off of him. I clutched Aela close and sobbed into her chest. I just wanted him to leave me alone.

She stroked my hair and shushed me.  
"There's nothing there." Lydia said blankly and placed her hand on her hip. Aela nodded.  
"Artemis, there's nothing here. Nothing can hurt you with us around anyways." Aela said and kissed my head. I nodded and sniffed loudly. I forced myself to believe that he didn't exist and he started to fade. The tightness in my chest lightened as he completely vanished. I couldn't even hear his voice anymore. My tears stopped rolling down my cheeks and I snuggled into Aela's chest. Lydia grumbled and trudged back to bed.  
"Thanks Aela." I whispered. She sighed and wrapped her arms around me.  
"You're welcome. Now go to sleep." She replied and let herself drift off to sleep. I closed my eyes and did the same.


	7. Chapter 7

Lydia and Aela stared at each other from across the room. I rolled my eyes at the two warriors and shook my head. At the start, it was awkward. But now it has become ridiculous. I tried to ignore their staring contests to the best of my ability. I gently nudged Aela's ribs and she shot me an annoyed glare before returning to stare down Lydia. I could handle Lydia staring at me with boredom, but Aela's glare made me feel uneasy. I couldn't believe that the one person who I loved dearly could make me want to head up to High Hrothgar and live the rest of my life up there with the Greybeards.

I crossed my arms and sat at the foot of the flames flickering up toward the ceiling. The wooden beams caught fire and the entire structure was ablaze. Panic had set in and my chest tightened. I couldn't breathe. It was happening all over again. I looked toward the two still staring each other down, they were completely oblivious to what was happening. The beams crumbled to the ground and crushed Aela. The flames trickled down to Lydia and set her ablaze, just like the building. I screamed and covered my eyes. My body shook violently as tears welled in my eyes. I began to sob loudly as my chest tightened further. My heart was beating so fast that I was afraid it couldn't take anymore. I thought it was going to split in two. Waterfalls poured down my face as the flames crackled and spat.  
"Artemis!" Aela exclaimed. I sobbed louder in an attempt to block her out. My old wounds were still open and red raw. I didn't need new ones to appear. The crackle of the fire seemed to be taunting me.  
"Are you ok?" She asked and her arms wrapped themselves around me. I was utterly confused. She was dead! How could she be hugging me?!

I dropped my hands and saw the fire still contained in its pit. I looked around, my vision blurred by tears. Lydia was still sitting in her chair, staring at Aela and I. The huntress had her arms wrapped around me and my head was resting on her shoulder.  
"Talk to me. What's wrong?" She asked. I flung my arms around her waist and held her close as I cried into her chest. Heavy footsteps pounded the floorboards and I felt another hand reach out to my shoulder.  
"This has never happened before. I don't understand what can be triggering this." Lydia said and petted my shoulder unsurely. I felt a little better as I chuckled at her actions.  
"I'm fine." I replied. I felt Aela shake her head at my response.  
"No you're not." She said. I sighed and shook my head. I wiggled out of the huntress' grip as I let go of Aela. I rubbed the water out of my eyes.

"I just need to talk to somebo-"  
"Talk to us! We're here for you!" Aela exclaimed. I turned to Lydia and she stared at me with the same, bored expression as always. Aela shook her head at Lydia and shrugged.  
"Well, I'm here for you. I'll always be here for you." Aela corrected. I shook my head.  
"You don't get it. You don't understand. I'm not like any of you. I'm different." I replied. Lydia seemed to get bored with our conversation and headed up to her bedroom for a nap, at least I guessed that was what she was going to do anyway.

"Artemis, I don't care if you're an Imperial. I'll al-"  
"That's not what I meant!" I exclaimed, cutting Aela off.  
"I don't understand..." She replied quietly with a shake of her head. I sighed and stared at the ceiling.  
"I'm sorry for yelling. I'm just frustrated." I said. Aela just looked at me and then shuffled over to the side a little. I huffed and stood up.  
"Where are you going?" Aela asked. She sounded hurt. I hated myself for yelling at her, but she wouldn't understand me. It dawned on me that there was only one individual that could help me.  
"Out." I muttered and left Breezehome. I closed behind me and wandered off to the Throat of the World.

* * *

Paarthurnax stared at me from his wall as I trudged up to his sanctuary. He wandered over and stood before me. His breath smelt of roasted goat and not the kind mother used to marinate in mead before cooking it. I could see in his eyes that he was happy to have someone to talk to again.  
"Drem Yol Lok. Greetings." He said.  
"Drem Yol Lok. Uh... Um..." For the life of me, I couldn't piece together a simple sentence.  
"Sorry. I'm trying to create small talk in your tongue." I replied. He laughed and almost smiled.  
"At least you tried. For that, I am grateful. Now speak, I will listen." He said.

I took a deep breath and put my hands on my hips before I began to piece together how I would tell him.  
"A while ago, I started having nightmares about my past and now it's haunting me while I'm awake and I have no idea why." I replied. He hummed a quick thinking tune and shuffled on his feet.  
"I have heard of it. It is rare for the dov to be afflicted with it, even rarer for a dovahkiin..." Paarthurnax said. Hope sparked within me.  
"Is there a cure?" I asked. He sighed and shook his head.  
"Krosis, there is not. Numinex told me of his visions of the past before he went insane and forgot his name. I'm afraid that there is no cure." Paarthurnax replied.

My hope was extinguished as fast as it set in. My heart sank and my stomach flipped over itself. My past was going to haunt me forever and there was nothing I could do about it. Paarthurnax's darkened eyes showed worry. I smiled and shrugged as an attempt to lessen his concern. My attempt failed. I could tell.  
"Thanks for helping, Paarthurnax. It means a lot to me." I said and attempted to smile. He nodded. The expression his eyes still showed the worry and concern he had shown before.  
"You are welcome, dovahkiin. Farewell." He replied and flew off to the wall at the edge of the mountain and began to meditate on the words of power written upon the stone. I turned away and headed back to Whiterun.

* * *

It was dark out and I ended up stumbling into Breezehome and shut the door behind me. I hated walking and fighting at night, but I would never carry a torch around with me. That would end in disaster, especially since what happened yesterday. My head pounded as I wandered further inside. Lydia sat in her usual chair downstairs, munching on her half loaf of bread. The flames of the kitchen fire didn't provide much light. The darkness penetrated the fire's circle of light and seemed to be moving closer and closer with every second.  
"Where's Aela?" I asked. Lydia put down her bread and glared at me.  
"Out. She went out after you left." She replied. Panic rose in the pit of my stomach.  
"Where did she go?" I asked, completely aware that my voice was cracking. Lydia shrugged and picked up her bread.  
"She said something about finding you." Lydia replied and continued to eat her food. I raced out of the house and ran to the crossroad outside.

I closed my eyes and tried to picture Aela's scent in my head. As seconds ticked by, her smell slowly came together in my mind. Sweat... Honningbrew mead... Blue Mountain flower and... What was that last one? It was something I knew well, that's for damn sure... That's it! Sweetroll. I tried to pick up her scent, but it was extremely faint. I followed it past the meadery and that was where the trail stopped. I looked at the glowing windows and decided to see if she was there.

I opened the door and the light assailed my eyes as the scent of honey and burnt pastries assaulted my nose. A knotted mass of red hair sat at the bar with a drink sitting next to them. I did recognise the armour though. Nobody in the area wore it. Even I didn't have it. I sat down next to them and Sabjorn stood on the other side of the bar, staring at me as he cleaned a tankard. I looked sideways at the person beside me and I smiled as I recognised the shape of their nose. Her scent was overwhelmed by sweat, blood that wasn't hers and mead. That was why I didn't recognise her.

"Aela?" I asked. She turned to me and smiled groggily at me.  
"I wash... lookin' fur you." She replied with a dopey grin. I sighed and shook my head. I had never seen her that drunk before! She was worse than Vilkas that time at the Bannered Mare!  
"I know you were, Lydia told me. What happened to you?" I questioned. She shrugged her shoulders and took another swig of her mead.  
"I fallsh... Off zhe briche... And fightsh zhe sliver handsh." She answered, her words incredibly slurred. I could barely understand her.  
"You... fell off of... the bridge?" I said. She nodded slowly.  
"And fought... the Silver Hand?" I asked. She nodded quicker this time. Panic gripped me and my heart raced.  
"Are you hurt?" I asked, worry clasping itself around my stomach.  
"Nup. Ish fine." She slurred with a grin. I turned to Sabjorn for validation of her statement.  
"Was s-she hurt when she c-came in?" I asked. He continued to polish the tankard in his hands as he thought about his answer.  
"She wasn't injured as far as I could tell." He replied. I sighed with relief.

I looked back at the huntress to find her swaying on her seat. She went to take another sip of her mead and I snatched the bottle out of her hands before placing it on my right. She gasped and stared at me with shock.  
"Why dish you takesh my mead?" She asked. I shook my head at her and stood up.  
"I'm taking you home." I announced and went to pick her up. She weakly pushed me away and moaned.  
"Noo!" She slurred.  
"Aela. You're coming home with me and that's final." I announced. She groaned in protest again and tried to slap me across my face. I lowly growled at her and she whined in reply.  
"Fine..." She replied and lifted her arms up. They flopped much like that of a rag doll's. I grabbed her waist and the underside of her knees. She flung her arms around my neck and moaned into my skin as I hauled her up from the stool.  
"Thanks for keeping her here!" I yelled at Sabjorn as I used my elbows to work the handles and my backside to open the door. I wandered out of the meadery with Aela endlessly grumbling nonsense in my ear. She was fairly light though.

I kicked the front door and I heard a grumble come from inside. Lydia must still have been up. The door opened and sure enough, my emotionless housecarl stared at me on the other side. She opened the door wider and sat back in her usual chair. I walked in and shut the door with my foot. I headed upstairs and placed Aela down on my bed. I pulled out an old brush I had found in the vampire's house in Morthal. I always hated Alva, there was something not right with her the moment I met her. Good thing I was the one to kill her too. Vampires disgust me.

As I turned my attention back to the huntress, she was laying down on the bed and staring blankly at the ceiling. I pulled her up and sat her upright. I knelt on the bed and tried to carefully tame her knotty locks without tugging at her scalp. It took forever, but after a few slurred yelps, Aela's hair was knot free again. I tossed the brush back into the open chest and helped her into bed. She grabbed my wrists and pulled me onto the bed as well. She held me tight and placed her head on my chest. I chuckled happily as she drifted off to sleep. I decided to close my eyes as well. It didn't take long for me to slip under the soft and warm blanket of deep sleep.


	8. Chapter 8

Farkas grinned and wandered over to us as we headed into the infamous mead hall.  
"Where did you two disappear off to?" He asked and crossed his arms. His brother walked over and stood next to his twin.  
"Artemis had a little freak out and I needed to relax." Aela replied with a smirk. I placed my hands on my hips and shook my head.  
"And she wanted an excuse to piss off Lydia." I said. She shot me a cheeky smile and turned back to our shield-brother. Farkas chuckled and patted Aela on the back.  
"You really hate Lydia, don't you?" He asked.  
"Yes. Yes I do." She replied, the grin falling off her face.  
"Don't worry about her..." I said with a smile, secretly wondering if Paarthurnax wanted a snack sometime soon. Aela, Vilkas and Farkas both gave me a weird look and shrugged off my reply.

"So, what happened while we were gone?" I asked. Farkas sighed and looked back at the fire before turning back to us.  
"The Silver Hand tried to attack us again. Farkas and I were returning from Morthal and we met up with Aela while she was looking for you. Then the Silver Hand ambushed us. One of the vermin tackled Aela off of the bridge and into the water. Luckily, none of us were hurt." Vilkas replied. So what Aela said in her drunken slur was true. The Silver Hand still existed. I felt a little sick thinking that the idiots who killed Kodlak and Skjor were still alive. Aela placed her hand on my shoulder and smiled.  
"Don't worry. They'll slip up and we'll find them." Aela said. I took a deep breath and nodded. I could see the worry in Aela's eyes. Maybe I needed to speak to Paarthurnax again. I don't know anymore. I really don't know. I'm so confused and I think that the old dragon would be the only one who could help me get through it. Sure Aela, Vilkas and Farkas were understanding, but Aela was a little cold natured, Vilkas was a know-it-all and Farkas didn't have the brains to comprehend my predicament.

"What's wrong, Artemis?" Farkas asked. My track of thought broke and I shrugged.  
"Nothing's wrong." I replied. Aela scoffed and shook her head.  
"She's still on edge. She'll be fine." Aela said. There was a hint of uncertainty in her answer. I sighed and placed my hand on her shoulder.  
"I will be fine. I just need a little help from the Greybeards and I'll be ok." I replied. Farkas grinned and slapped my back, but the huntress' smile didn't seem genuine. Vilkas wore a neutral expression as his eyes darted around the room.

"Is there anything that needs to be addressed?" I asked. Farkas rubbed the back of his neck and shook his head.  
"Only the Silver Hand problem. Other then that, it's been quiet." He replied. I sighed and placed my hands on my hips.  
"We have to exterminate them as soon as possible." I said. My shield-siblings nodded in reply.  
"We bait them, interrogate them and then destroy them." I said and Aela smirked.  
"I say Farkas is the bait." She replied with a chuckle. Farkas shook his head at her and crossed his arms.  
"What? You're the strongest out of all of us." She said with a shrug.  
"No, I'm going to be the bait. I won't risk losing Farkas. He's too much of an asset." I replied. Farkas grinned madly at me and Vilkas smacked him on the back of his head. I guessed he liked being called an asset.  
"Don't let it go to your head, ice brain." Aela said with a smirk. I ignored the twins as I went to speak again.  
"I don't want to lose anybody else to the Silver Hand. They took our best, I'm not risking the best we have left." I said.  
"But you're the Harbinger, you shouldn't be doing this." Aela replied.  
"I agree with Aela." Vilkas added. I sighed and shook my head.  
"I can handle myself. I'm not weak." I rebutted. I glanced over at the other two werewolves and found that they were chatting amongst themselves, knowing that the Harbinger always has the final word.

"I don't want you to be the bait." Aela countered.  
"Please don't be difficult." I said and shook my head.  
"You shouldn't have to do this." She rebutted. I sighed and placed my hands on my hips.  
"I can do what I want. And I want to do this." I countered. She shook her head and crossed her arms.  
"No. You are not doing this." She replied and glared at me. I was really starting to get tired of her trying to talk me out of this.  
"Aela, I'm not going to stand here and listen to you trying to talk me out of it. I'm go-"  
"I'm not going to lose you!" Aela exclaimed. All of the aimless chatter in Jorrvaskr stopped as they turned to face Aela and I. The silence in the hall was frightening. All I could hear were the flames of death crackling merrily behind me.  
"I am going to be the bait and that is my final word on the matter." I quietly replied and crossed my arms.

Aela pursed her lips and turned to face Farkas and Vilkas. It was obvious that she was going to ignore me for a while now. I pushed past her and weaved my way between the twins as I went for the door. I opened the door and looked back to find Aela staring at me. I didn't know if I was seeing things or not, but there was a look of pleading in her eyes. I had seen it before. The last time I saw that look was in mother's eyes in the final moments I shared with her and father in Cyrodiil. It tore at my heart's strings to see those sorts of emotions radiate in the huntress' eyes. I pulled my gaze away from hers and swung the door open. I stormed through the doorway and slammed the door shut behind me.

The rain began to fall as I wandered down through town. The women and men dashed into houses and shops as the guards still roamed the streets. The merchants stayed close to their stalls, hoping that they will stay dry. I walked through the town and watched as the streets slowly became devoid of life. My footsteps squelched against the stone as I wandered down to the stables. The horses neighed loudly as the rain pounded their stable roofs. I was just as on edge as they were. I walked over to the bridge nearest to the meadery and stood in the middle of the structure. I looked down at the stones at my feet.

Dried patches of blood ran through the cracks in the stones as the water continued to pour. My hair fell down my face and water streaked down my skin and trickled into my armour. I shivered as the cold liquid sent chills running through me. I couldn't believe that they would've dared to have come this close since Aela and I practically decimated their order. I sighed and stared out at the world before me. It was so quiet since Alduin's defeat. Nowhere near as many dragons roamed Skyrim nowadays.

I shivered as I heard a low growl coming from the edge of the bridge. I pulled out my blades and turned to find a large wolf with dark fur. I stared into its eyes and put my swords away. I knew that scent well and her eyes showed that same pleading that they did before.  
"Aela?" I asked, just to confirm my thoughts. The werewolf whined and plodded up to me. I walked closer to her scratched the back of her ear. She growled happily and nuzzled my hand. Her fur was soft and her nose was wet. I smiled and kissed her nose. She wrapped her arms around me and held me close. She held me so tight that I think she was bending my breastplate.  
"Aela. Let me go." I croaked. She whined and nuzzled me again.  
"You're... H-hurting me!" I exclaimed. She whined louder as she let me go. I bent over my knees and breathed deeply in an attempted to re-inflate my lungs. She whined louder and stared at me with puppy eyes as I stood straight again. I sighed and let out a half smile and rubbed her forehead. She growled happily again and nuzzled my side again as I kissed her head.  
"I love you Aela." I said. She whined and licked my face. I giggled as she brushed her tongue over my ear.  
"I can take care of myself, you know." I said. She whined and stared into my eyes.

Her ears pricked up and she looked behind me. Her ears flattened against her head and she growled. I turned around to find five men clad in fur armour. But that wasn't the reason why I got the shivers. The group's leader was a blonde Nord with ice blue eyes. In armour made of werewolf pelts.  
"Prepare to die, Companions!" He exclaimed. He even sounded like him too. I pulled out my swords and stood my ground with the huntress roaring at them behind me. I looked up to the heavens and took a deep breath.  
"Strun Bah Qo!" I roared. The skies rumbled and the rain fell harder. Lightning struck the ground before me and the Silver Hand stepped back with a yell. Aela growled at me and I shook my head. The winds pushed at my back as I charged, helping me get there quicker. Aela ran in and mauled one of the fur clad warriors and tore his throat out. The leader went to plunge his sword into her chest as I leapt through the air and tackled him to the ground. Aela went to attack one of the others, but he was struck by lightning and was reduced to ashes in seconds. She lunged for another closer to her and slashed his chest. I smacked the hilt of my blade into the leader's head repeatedly until his eyes rolled to the back of his head and his muscles tensed. By the time I got up from the ground, the storm had polished off the last hunter and the skies calmed. I slid my swords in their sheathes and I turned around to find Aela missing. I looked around to try and find the huntress. She stepped out from behind the signpost with her armour on. I rolled my eyes and shook my head at her.  
"You don't need to hide from me." I said and put my hands on my hips. Her cheeks turned red and she looked down at the stones underneath her feet.

I walked over to her and lifted her chin so that her eyes were level with mine. I pressed my lips up against hers and wrapped my arms around her waist. Her hands wound themselves in my hair as her lips desperately clung to mine. I ran my fingers up her back and gently traced circles around her soft skin. I moaned as she traced my spine with her fingertips. I pulled away and she placed a last kiss upon my lips before we broke away.  
"I love you." I whispered and held her close.  
"I love you too." She replied and kissed my cheek.

We let each other go and I picked up the unconscious hunter and slung him over my shoulder. I grunted under his weight and made my way back to Jorrvaskr. Aela travelled with me as I slowly lumbered towards the city gates.  
"By Hircine, why did you come after me?" I asked. Aela looked at me and then stared at the ground as we continued on our way.  
"I wanted to make sure you were ok." She replied.  
"I can handle myself, Aela. I'm the Dragonborn. You just saw me summon a storm during a drizzle with my Voice. I'll be fine." I said. Aela sighed and nodded.  
"I know. But I don't want to lose you." She replied. I smiled and chuckled.  
"You may be a bit cold shouldered, but you have your moments. You really can be sweet if you wanted to." I said. She gave me an uneasy half smile and we continued towards Jorrvaskr.

Once inside the mead hall, Aela helped me drag him to Farkas's room. Vilkas stripped him of all his weapons and armour. I gave Farkas one of the cooking pots I picked up during my travels to knock him out again if he woke up. Athis wandered in and Aela tried to usher him away.  
"What is that?" He asked and pointed to the unconscious hunter. I looked at Aela with worry. If anyone was going to lie for us, it was Aela.  
"He's.. a traveller we found passed out just beyond the city walls." Aela replied. She glanced back at me for reassurance and I nodded. Athis looked at Farkas and stared at the pot in his hands.  
"What's that for?" He asked as Aela turned him around and basically pushed him out of the bedroom.  
"Farkas... Uh..." Aela started. She couldn't think of a lie. I wanted to help, but my social skills are very lacking. I'm not as bad with people I know than people I don't, I just can't lie to anyone at all.  
"I'm getting cooking lessons from Tilma." He said. Aela let out a sigh of relief as Athis left willingly.  
"Ok. Ok, I'm leaving." He replied and wandered out. Aela closed the door and rested her back against the wood.

Just as Aela slumped with relief, the hunter awoke. He sat up and looked around at me and my fellow Circle members. Everyone in the room tensed up as he went to sit up.  
"What's... Going on?" He asked wearily.  
"Farkas! Pot! Now!" I exclaimed. The dark haired Nord smacked the pot over the top of his head and he flopped back down onto the bed. We all breathed a sigh of relief.  
"How long do we have to keep him here?" Vilkas asked.  
"Just until nightfall, then we an interrogate him in the Underforge." I replied.  
"Why the Underforge?" Farkas asked.  
"Because its secluded and he'll be knocked out, so he wouldn't know where we took him. And we'd kill him after we've got the information anyways." I replied. The twins nodded and smiled at each other.  
"Can we?" Vilkas asked. I nodded.  
"Why not?" I questioned in reply with a chuckle.

* * *

"Artemis, don't stutter. He's not someone to be friendly with. He doesn't deserve to see how you are when you are mingling with people. You're not that little girl who lived in the forest with her parents anymore. You're the Dragonborn, the Harbinger, the Champion of Azura and of Hircine, a werewolf, a hunter. You took down Alduin, you saved Skyrim. He is at your mercy." Aela said. She was right, I knew that. Aela was pretty much always right. But the leader reminded me of him. Maybe this was Azura and Hircine's way of helping me with my problem...  
"Remember, be harsh with him." Vilkas said.  
"They deserve no mercy." Farkas growled. The hunter groaned and awoke tied to a chair in front of the stone fountain. Farkas and Vilkas stood at the closed entrance and Aela and I stood on either side of him. He looked at us and struggled to get out of his binds. I took a deep breath as I readied myself. I couldn't show any sign of weakness.

"Wha...?" He moaned. I pulled out a steel dagger and held it to his neck. His ice blue eyes widened as he stared at me.  
"Save it!" I hissed. He faked a gag and turned away from me.  
"Get out of my face, dog of Hircine." He growled. I couldn't even call it growling, it was a bad imitation of us. I slid the dagger down his chest and poised it over his crutch.  
"How many of you are there? Where are you?" I asked. He spat at me. I dug the dagger shallowly into the skin of his member and he yelled with pain.  
"Tell me where you are situated and how many there are of you and my will die with your body still together!" I growled. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Aela smirking. He screeched as I gently plunged the dagger deeper.  
"Tell me!" I exclaimed. I ripped the dagger out and he howled with agony.

I twirled the blade and brought it up to his neck again. He was quivering with fear. But something in those eyes told me that he wasn't going to back down that easily. Even though I had just punctured the only thing that he possibly prided, he wasn't going to back down.  
"You know what I'm capable of. I defeated Alduin the World Eater. You are a fool for not giving in to my demands." I snarled. I whipped the dagger away from his neck and coated it with a potent poison. I carved a symbol in his chest that resembled mine. He screeched and yelled and begged for me to stop. Once I removed the blade from his skin, I slit his cheek. He trembled with fear and pain. I put my dagger away and slid a glass arrow out of my quiver. I thumbed the tip and then pointed it towards the hollow of his neck.  
"Are you going to talk now?" I asked with an evil grin. He folded his lips between his teeth and shook his head. I stabbed it into his shoulder and he yelled so loud that it echoed through the Underforge.  
"You better talk, you bastard!" I exclaimed. He shook his head with squinted eyes. I huffed and placed my hands on my hips.

I spun another arrow between my fingers as some of the twins cleared his throat. I turned to find Vilkas stepping toward me. He stopped at my side and put his lips to my ear.  
"Your tactics aren't working. Farkas and I can help if you want us to." Vilkas whispered.  
"Go wolf." I whispered and Vilkas went back to his brother. I stabbed the arrow into the chair just before his member and he whimpered with fear. My blood was thickening at the sound of his fear. Oh yes... It felt so good to be feared.

I heard the roars of the werewolf twins behind me and I stepped next to Aela.  
"If you don't tell us what we want to know, I will get the twins to slowly eat you limb by limb until you do." I said.  
"I'll never tell you!" He hissed. I lunged at him but Aela gripped my waist and pulled me back.  
"Easy. They know what to do." Aela uttered. I relaxed in her arms and pulled out one of my swords and held it to his neck. I turned my head toward the twins and smirked. Drool was cascading down Farkas's chin and Vilkas had hunger running through his irises. I smirked and dropped the sword down a little and nodded to the wolves standing before him. They lumbered over and stood at each leg. The hunter screamed as the twins bit off each of his feet. I could hear Aela's low growling as we both watched the blood drip down onto the stone. My blood thickened as strips of meat fell onto the ground. I crossed my arms and smiled as Aela's hands gripped my hips tightly.  
"Talk or your legs come off." I said. He shook his head again and the tears formed in his eyes. It was clear that he was in excruciating pain. I nodded to the twins again and they bit off his lower leg. More blood splashed onto the floor and more little strips of meat littered the ground. Aela and I tried to hold back our urges just to try and get some information from this werewolf hunter.

Tears splashed down his face and he was screaming. Aela and I winced as the twins howled. His voice was hurting our ears badly.  
"Okay, okay! I'll talk! I'll talk!" He exclaimed. I snapped my fingers and the werewolves stepped back. I placed my hands on his and stared into his eyes.  
"Speak." I growled. He hyperventilated and quickly looked to the walls and then looked back to me.  
"We reoccupied Dustman's Cairn! There were only the fiver of us left! I swear that's all there is!" He exclaimed with a shake of his head. I stood up and went to Aela's side again. I looked back at the twins and nodded.  
"Dinner time, boys." I said with a smirk. Aela and I left the Underforge as the sound of hungry growling drowned out his screaming.


	9. Chapter 9

I sat down at the table overlooking the fire and Aela sat beside me.  
"Well that was eventful." I said and shook my head. Aela chuckled and shook my head.  
"Hey, at least we wiped out all the Silver Hand that we know existed. That's something." Aela replied. I nodded. She was right, like always.  
"Oh Aela. I love you." I said and kissed her cheek. She smiled and held my hand.  
"I love you too." She replied and squeezed my hand. The twins wandered in and Farkas had a trail of blood running down his chin. Aela sighed and shook her head.

"Ice brains. You got a little something on your chin." Aela chuckled and ran her finger down her chin. I shook my head and slapped my forehead. Vilkas stared at his brother's chin and then cleaned it off with some spit on his thumb. Farkas grinned at Vilkas and slapped his back.  
"Thanks." He chirped and they wandered over.  
"Enjoy your snack?" I asked with a smirk.  
"The screaming was a put off, but we did." Vilkas replied. Aela chuckled and crossed her arms before sitting back in her chair and stretching her legs out.  
"Screaming is always is a put off." She said. Farkas and I nodded in agreement.

At that moment, Athis, Ria, Njada and Torvar came inside. They looked like they had gotten no sleep last night. They stopped before us and stared blankly.  
"What was with all that shouting last night?" Torvar asked, his eyelids were drooping as he spoke. I looked at my fellow Circle members who all seemed to be as anxious as I was.  
"What shouting?" Aela asked with an odd smile.  
"We weren't asking you, Aela. We were asking Artemis." Njada snapped and glared at me.  
"Uh... Just an interrogation. That's all." I replied. I can't lie to save my life, but it's not lying if you leave something out. Right?  
"And the howling?" Ria asked with her eyebrow cocked.  
"I had a s-staff of conjure familiar. Just as an... e-extra measure." I replied. Damn, now I was lying. I just hoped they didn't see through it.  
"Please don't do any interrogations at night anymore. Unlike you four night owls, the rest of Whiterun needs their sleep." Athis said. Aela, Farkas, Vilkas and myself all let out a silent sigh of relief as they headed back into their quarters to sleep.

"That was close." Farkas sighed. We all nodded in agreement.  
"I lied and didn't fail!" I exclaimed quietly. Aela smiled at me and patted my back.  
"Not bad, Moonshadow. Not bad." She replied with a grin. Vilkas and Farkas chuckled as they sat down on either side of Aela and myself. The doors behind us swung open and Lydia wandered inside. Aela groaned as she headed down towards us.  
"What's wrong, Lydia?" I asked.  
"Delphine showed up at the house asking for you." Lydia replied. I growled and shook my head.  
"Can't that bitch get the message!" I exclaimed and stood up suddenly. Aela looked up at me with worry.  
"What's the matter?" Aela asked.  
"The Blades want me to kill the leader of the Greybeards. That's not happening." I replied with a roll of my eyes.  
"She's outside now." Lydia said. Well, maybe Parrthurnax could have two snacks. I'm sure he wouldn't have minded.  
"I'll be back. I have to deal with Delphine." I replied and followed Lydia outside.

Delphine had her arms crossed as she waited for me outside the mead hall. I groaned as she wandered over to me. Lydia coughed as the Blades warrior came closer to me.  
"Have to dealt with the 'problem' yet?" She asked. I knew what she was referring to.  
"N-no... Nor d-do I wish t-to." I replied with a frown. Delphine crossed her arms and rolled her eyes at me.  
"It's your duty to slaughter dragons. Why haven't you done so?" Delphine asked.  
"Because, h-he's helping me." I replied. She shook her head.  
"Dragons are not capable of compassion. You will kill him and I will make sure of it." Delphine announced. Lydia groaned as Delphine pushed us onward toward the Throat of the world.

* * *

Delphine and Lydia stood on each of my sides as we headed up to Paarthurnax's wall. The wise dragon fluttered over and landed before us. Delphine and Lydia unsheathed their weapons and charged.  
"Hungry?" I asked with a smirk. Paarthurnax looked down at them and then looked back at me. He reached down and caught Delphine in his mouth before tossing her in the air and ate her. I tackled Lydia as she went to swing at his throat. After he had finished chewing and swallowing the Blade, he turned to Lydia. I got up off of my housecarl and Paarthurnax snapped her up and ate her as well. I couldn't help but to giggle as his eyes twinkled with glee.  
"Thank you Dovahkiin. You do not know how long it has been since I had a good meal." Paarthurnax replied.  
"You're welcome!" I chirped and beamed at him.

The old dragon settled down again stared at me.  
"How are you faring?" He asked.  
"I haven't had any nightmares or visions since I last saw you." I replied.  
"That is good." He said. To be honest, I think that Aela's pep talk helped me regain some of the confidence that I had lost due to... Him.  
"Enjoy those two pests?" I asked with a grin.  
"Yes. Thank you again. It does get rather tiresome having to chase after goats and trolls." He answered. I nodded in reply. Hunting humans is more entertaining than hunting animals. I knew exactly where he was coming from.

I didn't know whether it was a trick of the eye or not, but the snow seemed to gather in one spot. I stared at it and a shape seemed to form in the thick of it. I moved further towards the shape and then my blood froze when I saw the silhouette being formed. I took a step backward as the figure moved forward. A pair of piercing ice blue eyes appeared from inside the snow storm.  
"No... Not here. Not now." I muttered as I stood back. I stood next to Paarthurnax and stepped behind his tattered wing.  
"What troubles you?" He asked.  
"It's him..." I replied.

I whimpered and dared to peer out from behind the comfort of the old dragon's wing. He stood there with his tangled blonde hair slapping him in the face. He wandered toward Paarthurnax and reached for his dagger. I jumped out from behind him and stood my ground. My hands were shaking and my heart was pounding in my chest. I closed my eyes and thought back to Aela's pep talk before the interrogation.  
"W-what are you doing here?" I asked. I closed my eyes and cursed myself for stumbling over my words. Again. He chuckled and took a step closer.  
"I'm here to retrieve my property." He replied.  
"I... I am not your property!" I exclaimed. My voice echoed around the mountain and he glared at me dangerously. He stalked over and lifted my chin roughly by his thumb.  
"I've marked you as my property. The Legion took you from me. I'm going to take you back, wether you want me to or not." He said and I pulled my chin away from his grip.  
"You can't o-own me. I'm a person not a-an object!" I stuttered. I swear to Azura and Hircine that this damned stutter better disappear or I'm going to be in big trouble.

"Dovahkiin, who is this 'him' you speak of?" Paarthurnax asked.  
"He was a bandit who had kidnapped me and turned me into a prostitute against my will." I replied. The bandit snickered and gripped my wrist.  
"Dovahkiin? As in Dragonborn? The heroes of Sovngarde would enjoy your company... And I would enjoy their gold." He said with a sly smirk. I ripped my wrist out of his grip and stood my ground.  
"You don't control me! You don't own me!" I exclaimed. He chucked as I stepped backward.  
"Want to test that?" He asked with a grin. I took a deep breath and summoned all of my courage.  
"Fus... Ro Dah!" I shouted. The power of my Thu'um passed right through him and he crossed his arms whilst staring at me with that grin still plastered on his face. He advanced on me and I retreated back behind Paarthurnax's wing again.

The old dragon looked down at me with concern and confusion.  
"Kroisis, I do not see anything." He said. I peered out from behind his wing and saw nothing. I blinked and shook my head vigorously to try and make any change in what I saw. I opened my eyes and the reality was, he was gone. I stepped out from underneath him and looked around.  
"But he was right here..." I muttered.  
"This is more of a pressing matter than I first thought." He replied solemnly.  
"What can we do to stop it?" I asked.  
"We cannot stop it. I do not think there is a way to suppress it either." Paarthurnax replied.

"Such a shame really... I do enjoy pestering her." He said and smirked. I looked around and found him perched on a rock. The grin on his face made my blood boil and my skin crawl at the same time.  
"Go away already! Leave me alone!" I exclaimed. If I couldn't use what made me so feared in Skyrim against the bandit, then there was nothing I could do to stop him. He could do anything he wanted to me and I wouldn't have any power to escape. Paarthurnax grumbled loudly and plodded over to me.  
"What is the matter?" He asked.  
"He's back again." I muttered. His ice blue eyes darkened as he slid off of the rock.

"You know, 'he' has a name. You little bitch." He spat. I shivered as he stalked over to me.  
"I don't c-care about your na-name. Just leave!" I exclaimed.  
"My name... is Alduin." He said with a grin. My eyes almost popped out of my head as I turned and retreated to Paarthurnax. I jumped behind his wing again and shivers ran up my spine. My heart raced with fear. He kept his grin on his face for a few seconds and then burst out laughing.  
"Good to see you still are as gullible as you were. My name is actually Claudius." He replied and frowned. The loud thuds in my chest still beat fast and my spine continuously shivered. That kind of joke was to be expected from him, but it was still cruel.

I looked up at the old dragon and I could see that Paarthurnax was looking in the direction of 'Claudius', if that was indeed his name. But he showed signs of strain.  
"You can't see him, can you?" I asked.  
"Kroisis. I do not see him." He replied. The bandit stood there with a smug grin on his face.  
"Artemis was your name... Wasn't it? I never cared to learn your name, but I distinctly remember that red haired Nord you like so much called you that." Claudius said with a smirk.  
"D-don't you d-dare hurt Aela!" I hissed. He snickered and crossed his arms.  
"That's sweet. You want to protect her, but you're too scared of me. Such a shame. I thought that the legendary Dragonborn was supposed to be braver than you." He replied and smirked.

"Dovahkiin, what does he look like or sound like? I cannot seem to find him on this mountain." Paarthurnax asked as he still scanned the mountain for other signs of life.  
"He has blue eyes, blonde hair and pale skin. He's dressed in ratty fur armour, just like other bandits. He's well spoken for a bandit as he was once a bard." I replied.  
"A bloody good one at that." He commented and grinned. I must admit, from what I heard of his singing and his skills with a lute, it was undeniable that he was once one of the best in Cyrodiil. The great dragon sighed and shook his head.  
"Kroisis, I do not see anything. I think you are declining faster than Numinex was. This is a big problem." Paarthurnax said. Claudius laughed manically and took a step closer.  
"No, it's not a problem, she's perfectly damaged. Just the way I like her." He replied with a grin. My skin crawled and a lump rose in my throat. I wanted to get away from Claudius as soon as I could.  
"Paarthurnax, kroisis but I must take my leave. I need to clear my head and get away from him." I said.  
"Understood. But remember, this will not end, not until death." Paarthurnax replied.


	10. Chapter 10

I walked back into Jorrvaskr with a massive smile plastered over my face. Aela, Farkas and Vilkas were deep in conversation as I wandered over. Aela raised her eyebrow at me and Farkas smiled back at me. Vilkas handed me a bottle of mead and I happily uncorked it. I sculled some of the contents a little too quickly for my liking.  
"Why are you so happy?" Vilkas asked.  
"Lydia and Delphine are no longer with us." I replied with a smirk. The mead went down a little too quickly before and I let out a belch. I covered my mouth and looked at them with an apologetic glance. The three of them stared at me with unbelieving eyes.  
"Did you...?" Farkas asked.  
"No! It wasn't me that ate them. Paarthurnax did." I replied and grinned.  
"Well, thank Talos for that!" Aela exclaimed and placed her hand on my shoulder.

"What do you guys have against Lydia anyways?" I asked and placed my hands on my hips.  
"She's rude..." Aela said.  
"Uncivilised..." Vilkas added and crossed his arms.  
"Dumb..." Farkas continued.  
"Uncoordinated..." Aela added.  
"Cynical..." Vilkas continued again. I laughed and shook my head.  
"Wow, you really hated Lydia, didn't you?" I asked.  
"Yep!" They chirped in reply.

We all chuckled happily and Aela swiped my mead from my hand with a grin plastered on her face. She chugged the rest of the mead with ease and placed the empty bottle onto the table. Farkas sighed happily and then crossed his arms. If it wasn't for their different armours, you wouldn't have been able to tell the difference between the twins and yet their personalities were on either side of the spectrum. It was rather amusing to see how different they were, yet how similar they were as well.

The twins wandered off into their quarters. The other Companions headed into the hall and walked down the stairs just like the twins did. Torvar was drunk, like always and toddled slowly down the stairs. Ria grew impatient and there was a shout before a loud crash echoed through Jorrvaskr. Aela and I looked at each other with blank expressions as Athis's and Njada's laughter rang even louder. There was only one answer as to what that loud crash was. Ria had pushed Torvar down the stairs.  
"Torvar? You ok?" Aela exclaimed. There was a grumble as he trekked up the steps and poked his head up.  
"I'm fine." He replied and toddled back down again.

Once that door was shut, the air was quiet.  
"Artemis?" Aela asked. I hummed in reply.  
"What is that silvery scar on your chest? And how did you end up in Skyrim anyways?" She questioned. I knew this would come up sooner or later. I figured that it was time to tell her everything.  
"Where do I start?" I answered with a sigh. Aela looked at me with confusion.  
"Remember how I told you about... the f-fire at home?" I asked. She nodded slowly after a few seconds of silence.  
"After I ran away from the blaze, I was kidnapped by a Nordic bandit. I recently learned that his name was Claudius. He cut that mark into my skin with a silver dagger and then raped me that same night. He then used me as a prostitute for two years until the Legion attacked the camp and Hadvar killed him. Hadvar was very kind and walked with me. I was separated from him when the Legion ambushed the Stormcloaks and I was mistaken for a prisoner. We were taken to Helgen to be killed where Alduin showed up. If it wasn't for Hadvar or Alduin, I would be hunting with Hircine right now." I said. Aela stared at me. Her eyes betrayed her and I saw the shock hidden in her darkened pupils. Her silence made my hands tremble with fear. I didn't want her to pity me, I didn't want her sympathy. Looking back, I realised that the innocent child I was, wasn't me anymore. She was a different person entirely. Aela kissed my cheek and my path of thought crumbled.  
"That doesn't explain why you freaked out multiple times over nothing." Aela said.  
"My past isn't haunting me in my sleep anymore. That's a relief. But he has started appearing during the day and I get these dreams whilst I'm awake." I replied.  
"Oh." Was all she said.

She stood there in an awkward silence before she pulled me into a hug. I hugged her back and buried my face in the crook of her neck. I always felt safe in her arms. She let go of me and I did the same.  
"Do you know how to stop these 'visions' from appearing?" She asked. I shook my head.  
"Paarthurnax told me that the only way this can be cured is death." I replied. Aela shook her head.  
"No. I will not let you throw your life away." She said.  
"Aela, that would be a last resort. I wouldn't even think of taking my own life." I replied. She sighed with relief and kissed me gently. I couldn't lie to Aela. And to be honest, I was kind of scared of dying. Sure I had faced death many times, but I was afraid to die. The only things that kept me from breaking down was the rush I got from doing something dangerous and the fact that the fate of Skyrim rested on my shoulders.

Aela wrapped her arms around my waist and I smiled as I pulled her closer. My heart raced as the familiar scent of her skin filled my nose when I buried my face into the crook of her neck. I heard her chuckle quietly as she held me tighter. Aela's touch always made me feel happy and safe. I was sure that as long as Aela was with me, that I was going to stay sane. At least, that's what I hoped anyways. She stroked my hair and kissed my head. I smiled happily as my cheeks reddened.

She hummed a tune I often heard father play on his flute after he had a few sips of brandy as she played with my black locks. In that exact moment, I felt like I was home. The constant crackle of the flames kept my mind from drifting backwards into the past. Aela held me tighter and I sighed with happiness. The room felt colder, but I didn't care. I was with Aela and that was all I wanted.

"How sweet. Your heroine is here to make everything better for you. How touching." Claudius said condescendingly. I looked up to find him standing behind Aela with his arms crossed.  
"Aela. He's here." I whispered. Aela let me go and looked at me with concern.  
"I don't see anything." Aela replied. My heart stopped and shivers ran all over my body.  
"But he's right there!" I exclaimed and pointed to him. Claudius shook his head and glared at me.  
"Don't you get it? Only you can see me. I thought your dragon friend made that clear." He said and crossed his arms.  
"Leave me alone!" I shouted. Aela grabbed my hand and dragged me outside. She sat me down in the chair nearest to the door and sighed.

"What is going on?" Aela asked.  
"I-I told you. He's here. He... He's trying to make me his prostitute again." I replied. Tears formed in the corners of my eyes as my chest tightened. I crossed my arms and stared at the concrete. Aela placed her hand on my shoulder and sighed.  
"Artemis..."  
"I don't want to go back there again! Don't let him drag me back to that again!" I whimpered. My breathing became hindered as my chest tightened further again. She bent down and gave me a hug.  
"Artemis... You won't go back there again." Aela replied and kissed my cheek. I snuffled and made an attempt to smile at her. She released me from her embrace and placed her hand on my shoulder.  
"Goodnight." She said and wandered into the mead hall.

I sniffed again and hugged myself tightly. The tears still trembled on the corners of my eyes.  
"Stop your blubbering you worthless bitch." Claudius said and crossed his arms. I looked up to find him standing over me with a scowl painted on his face.  
"Go... a-away." I muttered as I wiped my tears away. He scoffed and shook his head.  
"No. I will not. You are my property and you will continue to be even after death. That's the way it works. I thought you knew that." He muttered. His frown made his features all harden and he almost seemed like he was made of stone. My chest was still very tight and I could barely breathe. There was a large lump in my throat and it became hard to swallow. My skin continued to crawl as he stepped closer.

I got up and wandered away from him, heading in the direction of Breezehome. I could hear his footsteps behind me. I shook my head and tried to block him out. The sounds of the night helped me try to ignore him, but as hard as I tried, he wasn't leaving. I turned the key in the lock and went inside. I slammed the door behind me and locked it. I looked around the house and smiled. I was rather happy that Lydia was dead and not sitting in her chair, staring at me, munching on a loaf of bread.  
"Where's that housecarl of yours?" He asked. I whipped my head around to face the staircase and found him relaxing on the middle step.  
"I-if you must know, she is with Delphine... In Paarthurnax's b-belly." I replied and stared at the ground.  
"Shame. She was rather pretty... With you I was stinking rich. If I had the two of you, I would have been able to buy an entire town in a month." He said with a smirk. My skin crawled at the thought of him having not only me, but Lydia as well as his prostitute.  
"Please d-don't talk about L-Lydia like that. That n-not right." I stuttered. He laughed manically at me and then shook his head.  
"I must admit, you have a good taste in women. For a stupid weakling, that is." He said with a grin. My blood boiled as he said so.  
"D-do not even think a-about hurting her!" I exclaimed. He laughed and shook his head.  
"It's sweet that you think you can defend her. Especially when what makes you the great and powerful Dragonborn doesn't even affect me." Claudius said with an evil smirk.

I whimpered and stepped away from the staircase. His ice blue eyes fixed on me as I froze where I stood. He looked me up and down and my skin crawled. He looked me up and down with a slightly lustful glint in his eyes.  
"S-stop looking at me l-like that!" I exclaimed and backed away again. He laughed and stepped down from the steps. He sat down in Lydia's chair and stretched himself out. I ran upstairs and shut myself in my room. I pulled off my armour and put on a set of simple clothes and shoes. It felt weird to be out of my armour, but I also felt relief. I didn't know why I felt relieved, but I did.

I sat on the corner of my bed and stared down at the silver scar on my chest. Tears formed in my eyes as I remembered the pain that scorched through my body as that scar was carved into my flesh. My lungs wouldn't fill with air and my hands were shaking. I closed my eyes and tried to purge the memory from my mind, but it was stabbing into my conscience like a dagger does through organs. I pinned my hands between my knees and stared absentmindedly at my quiver as it lay against the wooden chest. My eyes traced the sharp edges of my glass arrows with blank intent. I looked back down at my scar and then glanced back at the arrows.

I reached out to my quiver and gripped the shaft with my fingers. I stared at the tip and placed the arrowhead on the edge of a silvered line. I bit the bottom on my lip and tears began to rush down my face. A trail of blood followed the tip across my skin as I defaced the brand tarnishing my skin. The pain wasn't nearly as bad as silver weapons, but it still hurt. I bit my lip to try and restrain myself from screeching with pain. I whimpered constantly as the tip of the arrowhead split my skin. Trails of blood ran down the skin of my chest as I continued to scratch out the reminder of my tortured past. I put the arrow back into the quiver and I stood over the washbasin. I poured water into it and picked up a rag before soaking it and dabbing the wound carefully. It stung like crazy, but I had to do something to clean up a little.

The bandit looked up the staircase from Lydia's chair as I wandered down the stairs. He stared at my chest with a scowl on his face and a pair of shivers ran down my spine. My heart pounded as my head yelled at me for not bothering to change into another set of clothes, preferably one that covered the scar on my chest.  
"What did you do?" He asked with a sinister frown.  
"I-I d-didn't do a-anything!" I exclaimed. My heart froze and my head spun. My knees didn't want to carry my weight and my hands shook violently. I couldn't breathe properly, my lungs wouldn't let any air in or out. He shot up from the chair and stormed over. He grabbed my hair and I screeched as he dragged me over to the bottom step and pushed me down. Before I could react, he poked my new wounds as they spewed fresh blood.  
"I'll ask again. What. Did. You. Do?" He asked.

My answer was on the tip of my tongue, but his frosty eyes made it impossible for me to speak. He knew what I did, he knew very well. He brought his hand down on my face and I yelped as my cheek began to tingle. I rubbed it as he glared at me.  
"I could hear your pathetic whimpering, you little troll! What made you think that I wouldn't know that sooner or later, this would happen?!" He yelled and slapped me again. I let out a loud screech as he grabbed my wrist and squeezed it tightly. I couldn't get out of his iron grip, he was too strong for me.  
"Let g-go of me!" I exclaimed and tried to wiggle free. He let me go and I scurried up the steps. I sat at the top of the steps and tried to catch my breath, but I still couldn't breathe properly. I brought my knees to my chest and rocked back and forth.  
"He's n-not real... Aela says he's n-not real... So he mustn't be..." I muttered to myself as I continued to rock back and forth in an attempt to comfort myself. The bandit scoffed and crossed his arms.  
"I'm real all right. Do you want me to make that clear to you again?" He asked and raised his fist.

I jumped up and screamed as I ran into my room and closed the doors. I hyperventilated as I looked around the room for a barricade. My eyes fell upon the chest and I went to drag it to the door. But Azura and Hircine damn it, the chest was too heavy for me. I pulled out my dagger and slipped between one of the bedside tables and the bed. I held the weapon firmly in front of me as I waited for him to come into the room. My hands shook violently as my eyes stared open wide at the door. Every second that passed felt like hours, every minute felt like days. The doors swung open and I held my knife close. The bandit walked in and looked around the room. He spotted me in my cramped hiding place and grinned. He took a step forward and I pointed the dagger at him.  
"Back away!" I exclaimed and shivers ran down my spine. He put his hands up and stepped back with a smile.  
"Easy." He mocked and crossed his arms. I growled at him and shuffled as far back as I could.  
"Leave me alone!" I exclaimed. He laughed and sat down on the edge of the bed.  
"You're funny, I'll give you that, bitch." He spat in reply. My body shook violently as I watched him stare at me.

The door downstairs opened and I tensed up again. Footsteps wandered up the stairs and I let out a sigh of relief when I saw who came into eyesight.  
"Aela!" I exclaimed and I threw the dagger in the general direction of the bandit and got up. He yelled at me as I dashed towards the huntress. I flung myself at her and wrapped my arms around her neck. I kissed her cheek repeatedly and she laughed before hugging me back.  
"Why are you so happy to see me?" Aela asked with a beautiful smile gracing her face.  
"I was alone all n-night with that... b-bastard bandit in my house. I'm so happy to see you!" I replied and placed my hands on both cheeks and kissed her. I closed my eyes with pleasure as her hands snaked themselves around my waist. Her lips caressed mine lovingly as my hands wound themselves in her fiery locks. She moaned against my mouth and I licked her bottom lip before pulling it into my mouth and nipping it gently. She moaned and ran her hands down my back and she grasped my butt. I kissed her deeper and she returned my eagerness just as happily. Our lips parted and we stood there, soaking in the happiness of the moment. I wrapped my arms around her and rested my head against her neck. She held me close and kissed my head.

"That's so touching." Claudius mocked with a snigger. I turned and stared at him.  
"If you're n-not going to leave me alone, at l-least go downstairs." I snapped. As much as he scared me, I was tired of the childish crap he pulled when I was safe in Aela's arms. He scowled at me and trudged downstairs. I held Aela closer rested my head in the crook of her neck again.  
"I love you." I said and kissed her sweet flesh. She ran her hand over my hair and kissed my head.  
"I love you too." She replied and hugged me tighter. I kissed her shoulder and held her tight. Her breathing became laboured and she tapped my back as to say that I was crushing her.  
"Sorry..." I muttered and let her go. She caught her breath and then pressed her lips against my cheek. Her lips were so soft and my cheeks were turning red from her touch. She looked at me with worry as she caught a brief glimpse at the blood on my chest.

"How long are you going to be like this?" Aela asked and placed the back of her hand up against my forehead. I attempted to smile and kissed her hand.  
"Did you not listen to me in Jorrvaskr?" I asked and turned my back to her. I walked toward my bed and sat on the edge. I rested my elbows on my knees and sighed.  
"This will last till the day I die. It won't go away with time or healing. I'm stuck like this forever." I continued and then slumped over my knees. Aela wandered over and sat down next to me. She placed her hand on my back as I started to sob. I could hear the hesitance in her voice. I knew that she wanted to try and help, but she had no idea how to.  
"Uh... Don't worry, Artemis... You'll get through it, I know it." Aela said. I looked up at her and shook my head.  
"Thanks Aela, but I could barely survive the night. How could I survive a lifetime?" I asked. Aela sighed and pulled me into her arms. I sobbed into her chest as she ran her fingers through my hair. Tears began to trickle down my face as she hugged me tighter.

"Aela, it can't go on like this... I can't live my life in fear." I said and wept more onto her stomach.  
"Please give it one more day. If you can't handle it, you may do whatever. But know that I would follow you to the Hunting Grounds." She replied. My heart wept with me, but with tears of joy instead of despair. It touched me that she would follow me into death like I would for her. I sat up and wiped away my tears. She held my shoulders and kissed my cheek.  
"You have too much to live for. I've served my purpose. I think it's Hircine's way of calling me to join him in the Hunt." I said with a smile. Aela rolled her eyes at me and shook her head.  
"Don't talk like that." Aela said and frowned at me. I pulled her into a hug and kissed her cheek.

My chest tightened and my heart leapt into my throat as I heard footsteps coming up the stairs. I let go of Aela and watched the door. The twins emerged and I sighed with relief. My heart settled down and I could breathe properly again.  
"How are you, Harbinger?" Vilkas asked. I pouted and shook my head.  
"You know I don't like formalities." I replied with a smirk. Vilkas rolled his eyes and crossed his arms.  
"How are you anyways?" Farkas asked. I smiled and nodded.  
"Very on edge, but I'll be fine." I replied.  
"It's good that you and icebrains are here to try and talk some sense into Artemis. She's not listening to me." Aela said. Farkas frowned and Vilkas chuckled. I shook my head and placed my hands on my knees.  
"I won't listen to you. My mind has been made up, I don't want to live the rest of my life in fear." I said. The twins looked at each other with confusion and then looked back at me.  
"Right, they don't know..." I said and nodded. I turned to face them and intertwined my fingers. I took a deep breath and crossed my legs. Aela placed her hand on my shoulder and smiled at me.  
"I'll tell them, don't worry." She said and got off of the bed. She ushered the twins out and closed the doors behind her. I sighed and fell back onto my bed.

The doors swung open and Aela's sweet voice flooded into the room. I heard a set of footsteps and I sat up, almost expecting it to be Aela. It wasn't. My eyes widened in shock as his evil grin and his icy eyes penetrated my newfound sense of joy.  
"Miss me?" He mocked with a smile and sat down. My heart froze and my chest tightened. My hands shook violently and I lay there, unable to move or make a sound. He smiled and scoffed as he stood up and walked over to me. I felt the urge to scream but fear had made me mute. He frowned at me and then placed his hand over the hilt of his dagger. My heart beat faster again and I couldn't breathe. He clucked his tongue and shook his head.  
"You shouldn't have tainted yourself further you filthy wretch." He said with a scowl and I managed to find the courage to wiggle over to the dagger on the floor. I reached for it as he closed the doors and drew his blade. I grasped it tightly as he put his knees on either side of my hips.

My heart leapt back into my throat and panic gripped me as harshly as I gripped that weapon in my hand. I lifted my weapon up and grabbed him by the hair with the other. My hands shook and my skin was crawling. My heart raced and my feet got colder. I went to stab him in the throat, but the blade ended up missing him and it cut the side of my wrist. I screamed as I fought back tears of pain. I threw the dagger at the wall and I let go of Claudius's hair. He fell off of me as I held the wound in the palm of my other hand.  
"Look what you have done you stupid bitch!" He exclaimed and pointed to a cut similar to mine on his neck. I bit my lip to stop myself from screaming and whimpered as tears streamed down my face.

Aela, Farkas and Vilkas burst through the door as I wrapped my wrist up in the cloth of my dress. The huntress rushed to my side as I put pressure on the wound. She batted away my hand and unwrapped my wrist. She stared at me, her mouth agape as she saw the blood trickle down my arm. I wrapped the wound up again and held it firmly.  
"Artemis, what have you done?" Aela asked. Fear stopped me from answering her. The bandit stared at me with a cruel stare and I whimpered before burying my head into the crook of her neck.  
"What happened?" Farkas asked.  
"She was being a brave little bitch and tried to kill me!" Claudius hissed through his teeth.  
"I...I tried to attack the bandit, but I ended up injuring not only him, but myself as well." I replied. Vilkas looked at Farkas with concern and Aela wrapped her arms around me. She pulled me closer and I snuffled a little.

She gently rubbed my back as she shushed me quietly. I wiped my tears away and smiled at Aela. I turned to the twins and showed then that I was fine.  
"Are you ok?" Farkas asked. I nodded and smiled.  
"I'll be fine." I replied and hugged the huntress tightly. The bandit was staring at me with daggers in his eyes. My spine shivered and I held Aela close. She pulled me back into her embrace and kissed my cheek.  
"Artemis, how long do you think you'll last?" Vilkas asked. I sighed and let go of Aela.  
"He wins. I'll be dead before morning." I replied solemnly. Claudius grinned and rubbed his palms together greedily.  
"You're giving up after a month or so?" Farkas questioned. I shook my head.  
"He kept me prisoner for two years. I'm not going to let myself be plagued by him any longer." I answered. Aela rubbed my shoulders and kissed my cheek.  
"Where you go, I'll follow." She whispered. I smiled and kissed her quickly as a thank you.

"So, who will be the new Harbinger?" Farkas asked. That was a mind boggler. The bandit groaned and tapped his foot.  
"Choose a Harbinger and die already!" He exclaimed and threw his arms up into the air with impatience.  
"Leave me alone, damnit!" I exclaimed. The bandit huffed and wandered downstairs again. I sighed with relief and shook my head. The twins and Aela looked at me with confusion.  
"He's downstairs now. I'll be ok for now." I said and Farkas grinned and crossed his arms. Now that Claudius was downstairs, I could think clearly. Farkas was strong and fearless, well but the spider phobia was a problem, but Vilkas was intelligent and decisive. This was possibly the hardest decision I've ever had to make. Each of the werewolves had great potential to lead the Companions towards further glories. I turned to Aela and sighed. She gave me a half smile and rubbed my shoulder. I nodded to her and looked at the twins standing before me.

"Vilkas, I believe that your wisdom will guide the Companions to further glory. Congratulations, you are the new Harbinger. Treat your battle siblings with kindness and compassion." I announced with a smile. Vilkas nodded his head and Farkas patted his twin on the back, grinning the entire time.  
"I will. Our future glories will further polish the name of the Companions and the Circle." Vilkas replied. Aela got off of the bed and nodded to Vilkas as she slapped him on his shoulder. He smiled back at her and she stood by my side again. Farkas ruffled his brother's hair with a grin. Vilkas frowned and gave his brother an unamused glare.  
"Come on, lets have a celebratory drink!" He exclaimed. Vilkas smiled and nodded.  
"Sounds good." Vilkas replied.  
"Would you two care to join us?" Farkas asked with a mock gentlemanly hand wave. Aela and I shook our heads with a smile on our faces.  
"We'll see you two on the other side." Farkas replied with a smirk.  
"I hope to see you two again later in the afterlife." Vilkas said.  
"Farewell. I hope we'll meet again." I replied with a nod.  
"It was good fighting with you both. Good luck and hope we meet again." Aela said. The two of them wandered out of the room.


	11. Chapter 11

Once the door closed, I got up and picked up the dagger and placed it on one of the bedside tables. Aela sat down next to me and kissed my head. She pulled out the ebony dagger I had given her in Ysgramor's tomb and placed it next to mine. I crawled behind her and hugged her from behind. I nuzzled and kissed her neck as my nostrils were filled with her intoxicating scent. I closed my eyes and held her close. I moaned with pleasure as her hands ran up and down my arms. She sighed and kissed one of the wrists. Her fiery hair tickled my chest and a smile spread quickly across my face. Despite having the bandit still in my house, I felt safe in my room with Aela. She was everything I could've ever wished for in a mate. I could hear footsteps coming up the stairs and my heart froze. Aela sensed my unease and squeezed my wrists. I smiled and kissed her temple.  
"It will be ok. Soon you'll be safe with me and he won't be there to harass you anymore." Aela said and nuzzled my hands. I smiled and pulled her closer. I loved how Aela only saved her soft side for me. It was sweet and adorable. It made my heart swell with happiness.

Claudius wandered into the room and pulled me off of her. I yelped as he flung me onto the floor. My back ached as he stood over me and laughed. Aela jumped over to the other side of the bed and gasped. She slid off and helped me to my feet. Claudius groaned and shook his head.  
"You won't let me have any fun, will you?" He asked with a pout.  
My skin crawled and my heart froze for a millisecond as my mind found the innuendo in his words. Tears welled in my eyes and I began to sob. I couldn't breathe and Aela held me close as I hyperventilated. She rubbed my back and kissed my cheek.

"What happened? Are you ok?" She asked in a frenzy.  
"He threw me onto the ground!" I replied as tears rushed down my face. She wrapped her arms around me and quietly shushed me. She stroked my hair and kissed my cheek. The bandit clucked his tongue and shook his head at me.  
"You are so pathetic." He drawled. He slapped me over the back of my head and tears continued to fall down my face. It didn't hurt, but I felt extremely vulnerable. The huntress sensed my change in emotion and kissed my cheek.

Aela sat on the bed and pulled me onto her lap. She laid down and pulled me with her. I laughed and wiped away my tears as she snuggled against my back, burying her face in my neck. I smiled as I felt the warmth of her breath on my flesh. My heart began to beat normally and I could breathe again. I pulled the covers over us and she cuddled me tighter. The bandit crossed his arms and stood over me.  
"You are seriously pathetic. A whore finding comfort with her huntress. I can't believe that I'll have not only one girl to solicit, but two. I'll be sleeping in the spare bed tonight. I'll be seeing you bitches in the morning." He said with a smirk and wandered out.

Aela felt the shivers running through my flesh and held me closer.  
"Are you ok?" She asked and ran her fingers down my neck. My system calmed down at her touch and I sighed happily.  
"I'm fine." I replied with an uneasy smile. She hugged me closer and I moaned happily.  
"Don't worry, you only have until morning and this nightmare will be over." Aela said and kissed my cheek. To be honest, I was looking forward to hunting with Hircine with Aela and mother by my side. I didn't know what Kodlak and the other Harbingers had against going to the Hunting Grounds. Then again, they weren't avid worshippers like myself or mother.

Aela kissed the goosebumps on my neck as she ran her hands up and down my arm. My skin became warmer and I felt so happy with her. That bubble of bliss and security wove itself around us again as I shifted around to face her and held her in a tight embrace. She hummed a tune of comfort and snuggled into the crook of my neck again. I smiled and kissed the top of her head. I ran my hand down her side and held onto her hips gently. She kissed my neck multiple times before nipping the exact same spot. I moaned as she traced my collarbone with her tongue. I ran my hands up her back as she repeatedly placed kisses up my neck and followed my jawline. As soon as her lips were a few centimetres away from mine, I pressed my lips up against hers and held her close. The huntress moaned hungrily and gripped my waist. Aela sucked my bottom lip into her mouth and nipped it repeatedly. I growled and ran my hands up to her chest as my tongue slithered across her lips. She mewled with delight as I gave her breast a rough squeeze. Aela rolled on top of me and kissed me hungrily. Her hands pinned my wrists to the bed as she showered my neck with kisses. I giggled as she licked my earlobe.

I swatted her away and she gasped at me with mock hurt. She pouted as she slunk toward the edge of the bed. She crossed her arms and looked over her shoulder at me. I rolled my eyes at her and crawled over to her. She kept her eyes glued to the wall. I wrapped my arms around her waist and kissed her cheek. Her chest vibrated, but she still didn't look at me.  
"Aela?" I asked. I stared at her with suspicion. She stayed perfectly still as I let her go and I sighed. As I went to shift away, she turned around and pounced on me with a laugh. Her fingers shot up to my ribs and she began to tickle me. I squirmed and twisted as she continued to tickle my rib cage.  
"Stop it!" I exclaimed with laughter. She grinned as she stopped and kissed me lightly.  
"I couldn't help but to tease you." Aela said with a smirk. I shook my head at her and gently pressed my lips up against hers for a brief moment.

Our lips parted and she flopped down next to me. I kissed her cheek and held her tight. She chuckled happily and got comfortable on the mattress. I snuggled next to her and closed my eyes. Despite how tired I felt, I couldn't force myself to sleep. I didn't know if it was tension, anticipation, dread or even fear. I wanted... No, I needed to hear Aela's voice.  
"Aela?" I asked. She hummed quietly in reply. I turned to find her opening her eyes and looking at me.  
"How are you feeling?" I asked. She shrugged and snuggled into my chest. I sighed and kissed her head. Obviously she wasn't in the mood to talk. I settled back down again and closed my eyes. I listened to the solid and steady beats of her heart as I drifted off to sleep.

* * *

I felt an arm weave itself around my waist as I found myself waking up. I stretched an arm above my head as I yawned. I looked behind me to find Aela snuggled up and holding me close, like I was her teddy bear. I found it cute that she wanted my company the same way I wanted hers.  
"Aela." I whispered. She groaned and held me tighter. As much as I love her embraces, she was squeezing me in a way I didn't like to be squeezed in the mornings.  
"Aela." I said a little louder. She let go of me and yawned before she herself had a little stretch.  
"Morning." Aela said, half asleep.  
"Good morning." I said and rolled around to face her. I kissed her head and she hummed a happy tune. She hugged me close and snuggled into my chest. I rolled my eyes at her and shook my head.  
"Come on. Get up sleepy head." I mused and ran my thumb gently down her nose. She whined in reply and opened her eyes. The huntress squirmed a little before sitting up and rubbing her eyes. I kissed her cheek and chuckled.

I could hear footsteps coming from Lydia's bedroom. My heart was thumping in my chest and my skin began to crawl. Aela noticed this and gripped my hand. My heart crawled its way up to my throat and my feet became all tingly. Claudius wandered in and fidgeted with his tattered iron gauntlets.  
"Is he here?" Aela asked. I nodded. She kissed my cheek and held my hand and she gave it a tight squeeze.  
"It'll be fine, Artemis. It's over soon." Aela whispered. I glanced over at the two daggers patiently sitting on the table next to me. My lungs wouldn't let me breathe, my chest was too tight. The bandit looked up from his gauntlets and stared at me.  
"Oh, you're awake. Good. Now lets get this over with. You have to earn me back my fortune." He said with an evil smirk and went back to playing with his gauntlets. My skin began to crawl again and I felt sick. Aela squeezed my hand again.  
"Artemis, he won't follow you to the Hunting Grounds. You'll be safe there. Trust me." Aela said.

He stopped fidgeting and looked up at me.  
"Hunting Grounds?" He questioned. His eyes popped out of his head when he realised that his plans were spoilt.  
"But you're going to Sovngarde." He said. The panic in his voice gave me some comfort.  
"No, when I die I go to Hircine's Hunting Grounds. I'm still a werewolf." I replied. I rolled out of bed and rubbed my shoulders in order to generate some heat. I saw Aela's mouth curve into a smile. She seemed to be happy about something. For once, I felt like I had power over the bandit. He has won the battle and forced me to back down, but I had won the war as he would never command me again.

Aela crossed her arms as she laid back down in bed. I sighed and shook my head.  
"Oh, Aela. Please get up." I whined. She chuckled and snuggled into the covers. I huffed and put my hands on my hips. Claudius stared at me with disbelief. I think that he was shocked that I had beaten him. His jaw had hit the floor and he shook his head at me. I found it easier now that Aela had helped me realise that I won.  
"Well? Aren't you going to rub it in my face?" He asked. I crossed my arms and smirked. My heart was beating extremely fast. I was still uneasy around him, but I felt empowered.  
"Why should I? I'm just happy that you aren't going to be around anymore." I replied.

I sat down next to Aela and smiled as I brushed a piece of hair out of her face. Her chest rose and fell peacefully as she slept on. I ran my down her nose continuously and she smiled as she snuggled down. Aela looked so peaceful as she clung to the covers and slept. I almost hated the thought of waking her up just so we could kill ourselves. I guess the Hunting Grounds could wait in favour of the huntress's nap. Don't get me wrong, I liked watching Aela sleep. She looked so sweet. I wandered over to the other side of the bed and laid down next to Aela. I closed my eyes and snuggled next to her. I was so comfortable next to her.

After a few seconds, I began to feel cold. I felt something wrap itself around my ankle. I yelped as I was yanked out of bed and dragged down the stairs. The stairs were bruising my skin. I groaned as my ankle was released. The bandit kicked me, flipped me onto my back and sat on my midsection.  
"Get off!" I exclaimed. He smacked me across my face and my cheek tingled. I tried to wiggle out from underneath him and he slapped me again. Claudius's fist connected with my jaw and I squealed as my jaw began to throb. He pulled out his dagger and grinned. Tears formed in my eyes.  
"Stop blubbering you stupid bitch!" He exclaimed.

I began to cry as Aela hurried down the steps. He got off of me and held his dagger high. Aela ignored him and helped me off of the ground. She held me close and rubbed my back.  
"Are you ok?" She asked. I sniffed and shook my head. I could see Claudius grinning as he put his dagger away. It was his duty to make my life miserable, I knew that and he knew that. I was glad that I was leaving soon. Aela shushed me and led me back upstairs. She sat me on my bed and handed me my dagger. She picked up her own and sat down next to me. Tears rushed down my face as Aela held my hand tightly.  
"Do you want to do this now?" She asked. I nodded and wiped away my tears. She patted my back and kissed my cheek.  
"Don't worry, I'll be here for you and I won't let you go to the Hunting Grounds without me." Aela said.  
"I love you Aela." I said.  
"I love you too Artemis." She replied with a smile. I pressed my lips up against hers and moaned with happiness. Our lips parted and Aela scooted closer to me.  
"I'm right behind you." She said with a nod.

I stared at the dagger for a second or two and then looked down at my chest. I held the dagger firmly in my hand and closed my eyes. I took a deep breath and plunged the knife into my chest. I shouted with pain as I pulled it out and threw it onto the floor. Aela took me into her arms and laid me down on the bed. She kissed my cheek and plunged her own dagger into her chest. She laid down next to me and hugged me close. The pain in my chest was unbearable. Tears rushed down my face and it hurt to sob. Aela took hold of my hand and held it tightly. I could tell that she was in as much pain as I was. Blood trickled down my chest and stained the sheets below me. I wanted to talk to Aela and help the alleviate some of her pain, but it was hurting me to even try and open my mouth. My head was spinning and I felt sick. My head pounded and my chest ached. I knew that Aela was hurting as much as I was and I squeezed her hand. Her breathing was shallow and raspy, just like mine. We lay there and waited for the pain to end. My vision was blurry and I felt very dizzy. My body wouldn't move and I could barely hear Aela's breathing. I knew that these were our last moments, but I was happy that we spent them together instead of apart. Very soon, Aela and I will be hunting with Hircine and his werewolf hunting party. I held Aela tight as I could and my heart stopped. My muscles tensed and my vision went dark. That was the moment when the bandit lost any influence he had on me and I was free. That was my moment of triumph and the one woman I loved more than anything was there to help me through it. Now, all we have to do is wait. But I don't mind. I have Aela with me.


End file.
